Obesity, she said, “could now be an even greater threat to America’s health than smoking.” And if the nation stays on its current path, nearly 50 percent of all Americans will be obese in 10 years — “not just overweight, but obese.”
She went on to say that nearly one-third of U.S. children are now overweight or obese and one-third of them eventually will suffer from diabetes, and, in the African American and Latino communities, the proportion will be almost half, statistics she says, “never fail to take my breath away.”
“This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved in one year, or even one administration,” she cautioned. “But make no mistake about it, this problem can be solved.”
The first lady heralded the progress already made by some of the mayors in their respective cities and is expected to unveil an anti-obesity initiative next month.
The conference, which is being held at the Capital Hilton, runs through Friday, Jan. 22. –gerald radford
