Childhood Obesity: The Declining Health of America's Next Generation

On July 16, 2008, First Focus President Bruce Lesley testifed before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions’ Subcommittee on Children & Families about the childhood obesity epidemic and its role in the rapidly declining health of our next generation.

Over the past 30 years, obesity rates have more than tripled for preschool children and adolescents, and quadrupled for children ages 6-11. Bruce Lesley spoke about the critical role the Federal government must play in reversing this epidemic by providing leadership, coordinating efforts across agencies, and investing in research and sustained prevention and intervention strategies

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Click here to download Bruce Lesley's testimony.

Click here to download a summary of the testimony.

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HEARING INFORMATION:

WHEN: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 2:30pm

WHERE: 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building

WHO: Witnesses included:

• Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus,
  Washington, DC
  
  
• Jeff Levi, Ph.D., Executive Director of Trust For America’s Health, Washington, DC
  
  
• Dr. Francine Kaufman, past National President of the American Diabetes Association, Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and Communications at the Keck School of Medicine and the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
  
  
• Dr. Margaret Grey, DrPH, RN, FAAN, Dean and Annie Goodrich Professor, Yale School of Nursing, New Haven, CT