    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 124, 111th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 8554--SEPT. 1, 2010

    Proclamation 8554 of September 1, 2010
    National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, 2010
    By the President of the United States of America
    A Proclamation

    One of the greatest responsibilities we have as a Nation is to safeguard
    the health and well-being of our children. We now face a national
    childhood obesity crisis, with nearly one in every three of America's
    children being overweight or obese. There are concrete steps we can take
    right away as concerned parents, caregivers, educators, loved ones, and
    a Nation to ensure that our children are able to live full and active
    lives. During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, I urge all
    Americans to take action to meet our national goal of solving the
    problem of childhood obesity within a generation.
    Childhood obesity has been a growing problem for decades. While it has
    afflicted children across our country, certain Americans have been
    disproportionately affected. Particular racial and ethnic groups are
    more severely impacted, as are certain regions of the country. In
    addition, obesity can be influenced by a number of environmental and
    behavioral factors, including unhealthy eating patterns and too little
    physical activity at home and at school.
    We must do more to halt and reverse this epidemic, as obesity can lead
    to severe and chronic health problems during childhood, adolescence and
    adulthood, including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and asthma. Not
    only does excess weight adversely affect our children's well-being, but
    its associated health risks also impose great costs on families, our
    health care system, and our economy. Each year, nearly $150 billion are
    spent to treat obesity-related medical conditions. This is not the
    future to which we want to consign our children, and it is a burden our
    health care system cannot bear.
    Earlier this year, the First Lady announced ``Let's Move!''--an
    initiative to combat childhood obesity at every stage of a child's life.
    As President, I created a Task Force on Childhood Obesity to marshal the
    combined resources of the Federal Government to develop interagency
    solutions and make recommendations on how to respond to this crisis. The
    Task Force produced a report containing a comprehensive set of
    recommendations that will put our country on track for solving this
    pressing health issue and preventing it from threatening future
    generations.
    The report outlines broad strategies to address childhood obesity,
    including providing healthier food in schools, ensuring access to
    healthy

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    affordable food, increasing opportunities for physical activity,
    empowering parents and caregivers with better information about making
    healthy choices, and giving children a healthy start in life. I invite
    all Americans to visit LetsMove.gov to learn more about these
    recommendations and find additional information and resources on how to
    help children eat healthy and stay active.
    The new landmark health care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
    includes a number of important tools for fighting and reversing the rise
    of childhood obesity. All new health insurance plans will be required to
    cover both screenings for childhood obesity and counseling on nutrition
    and sustained weight loss, without charging any out of pocket costs. The
    ACA also requires large restaurant and vending machine operators to
    provide visible nutritional information about the products they sell,
    enabling all Americans to make more informed choices about the foods
    they eat. As part of my Administration's comprehensive approach to
    combating this epidemic, the ACA includes millions in new funds to
    implement prevention activities nationwide that support recommendations
    of the Task Force on Childhood Obesity.
    Our history shows that when we are united in our convictions, we can
    safeguard the health and safety of America's children for generations to
    come. When waves of American children were stricken with polio and
    disabled for life, we developed a nationwide immunization program that
    eradicated this crippling disease from our shores within a matter of
    decades. When we discovered that children were going to school hungry
    because their families could not afford nutritious meals, we created the
    National School Lunch Program. Today, this program feeds more than 30
    million American children, often at little or no charge. When we work
    together, we can overcome any obstacle and protect our Nation's most
    precious resource--our children. As we take steps to turn around the
    epidemic of childhood obesity, I am confident that we will solve this
    problem together, and that we will solve it in a generation.
    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 2010 as
    National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. I encourage all Americans to
    take action by learning about and engaging in activities that promote
    healthy eating and greater physical activity by all of our Nation's
    children.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of
    September, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    fifth.
    BARACK OBAMA