
All Levels of Government Come Together for First Time to Discuss Childhood Obesity
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Mayors from across the
nation are participating today in the Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit
at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Hosted by the Leadership for Healthy
Communities, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the theme of this meeting is "Connecting Leaders to Support Healthy Children."
For the first time ever, this summit will bring together elected
officials and policy leaders from all levels of government to discuss
innovative partnerships, promising practices, and policy-relevant research
that create healthier communities. Mayors and other leaders will share the
policy approaches they have taken to prevent childhood obesity, increase
opportunities for safe physical activity, and improve access to affordable
healthy foods.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is a member of Leadership for
Healthy Communities, which engages and supports state and local leaders in
efforts to reverse the childhood obesity epidemic through policies that
support healthy eating and active living.
"Childhood obesity has taken on epidemic proportions in the U.S. and is
disproportionately affecting children in poor and underserved communities
in our nation's cities. The Childhood Obesity Prevention Summit offers an
unprecedented opportunity for elected and appointed officials at all levels
of government to meet and exchange strategies to combat this growing
epidemic," said Tom Cochran, USCM Executive Director.
Participating mayors include: Mayor Robert Cluck, M.D. (Arlington, TX),
Mayor Joseph Curtatone (Somerville, MA), Mayor Darwin Hindman (Columbia,
MO), Mayor Juan B. Tudela (Saipan, Mariana Islands), Mayor Kevin A. Burns
(North Miami, FL), Mayor Lou Ogden (Tualatin, OR), Mayor Art Madrid (La
Mesa, CA) and Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr., (Hempstead, NY).
The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization
of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,139 such cities
in the country today, each represented in the Conference by its chief
elected official, the Mayor.
SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors