[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 174 (Thursday, September 8, 2016)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 61975-61976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21752]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 81 , No. 174 / Thursday, September 8, 2016 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 61975]]


                Proclamation 9480 of August 31, 2016

                
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2016

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term 
                effects on a child's health and well-being--it puts our 
                young people at higher risk for health problems in 
                adulthood and it can strain our economy in the years 
                ahead. But collaborative efforts in recent years have 
                helped our Nation make progress and begin to reverse 
                these trends. By fostering environments that support 
                healthy choices and giving families the knowledge and 
                resources they need to make smart decisions, we can 
                move closer toward ensuring all our children grow up 
                healthy. Every September, as children begin the new 
                school year, we recommit to solving the epidemic of 
                childhood obesity within the next generation.

                Over the course of my Presidency, we have put forward 
                new programs, policies, and initiatives that put 
                children on a path to a healthy future. At the launch 
                of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, 
                I established the first-ever Task Force on Childhood 
                Obesity to develop a national action plan to mobilize 
                the public and private sectors and engage families and 
                communities in an effort to improve the health of our 
                children. Combining comprehensive strategies with 
                common sense, Let's Move! is focused on helping 
                children lead a healthier life during their earliest 
                months and years; providing healthier foods in our 
                schools; ensuring every family has access to healthy, 
                affordable food; and getting children to become more 
                physically active. Everyone has a role to play in 
                ensuring all of our kids grow up healthy, including 
                parents and caregivers, elected officials from all 
                levels of government, schools, health care 
                professionals, faith-based and community-based 
                organizations, and the private sector. For the past 5 
                years we have welcomed students to the White House from 
                across our Nation to create original and healthy 
                recipes in our annual Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and 
                Kids' ``State Dinner.'' The First Lady has also invited 
                students to join her in planting and harvesting the 
                White House Kitchen Garden to learn about where their 
                food comes from and experience firsthand how healthy 
                food can be fun and delicious.

                Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration 
                introduced a modernized Nutrition Facts label--which 
                includes more realistic serving sizes and information 
                on added sugars--to provide families with the accurate 
                information they need to make healthy choices. We know 
                there is a strong connection between what our kids eat 
                and how well they perform in school, too. That is why, 
                in 2010, I signed the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free 
                Kids Act, a law that improves the quality of school 
                meals and snacks for over 50 million students so they 
                have the fuel they need to focus on their education and 
                grow up healthy. A recent study showed that because of 
                the increased availability and variety of fruits and 
                vegetables in school meals, students have been 
                empowered to make healthier choices since these 
                standards were updated. The Act increased the number of 
                students who could get school meals at little or no 
                cost and ensured that any food or beverage marketed to 
                children at school meets specific nutrition standards. 
                It also helped bring about the first major revision of 
                nutrition standards for the Child and Adult Care Food 
                Program since its inception more than 40 years ago.

[[Page 61976]]

                In addition to improving the nutrition of the food our 
                children eat, we will keep striving to create 
                opportunities for kids to become more physically 
                active. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 
                recommend that kids be active for at least 60 minutes 
                every day, but less than one-third of teenagers have 
                met that goal in recent years. Last year, the Surgeon 
                General called on communities to recognize the 
                importance of exercise by walking more and by improving 
                the walkability of our neighborhoods. Through our 
                ``Every Kid in a Park'' initiative, we have opened up 
                our National Parks to fourth graders and their families 
                for free, so that children from all backgrounds, parts 
                of the country, and walks of life can get outdoors more 
                easily.

                This year, as we observe National Childhood Obesity 
                Awareness Month, let us renew our commitment to giving 
                America's daughters and sons a healthy start in life. 
                Let us continue to encourage parents and caregivers to 
                make nutritious choices and help their children do the 
                same, improve access to healthy and affordable foods in 
                our communities and our schools, and promote active 
                lifestyles. We must each do our part to reduce 
                childhood obesity and empower our children to reach for 
                the brighter, healthier future they deserve.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim September 2016 as 
                National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. I encourage 
                all Americans to learn about and engage in activities 
                that promote healthy eating and greater physical 
                activity by all our Nation's children.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-first.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2016-21752
Filed 9-7-16; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F6-P