Interview by Ashley

Andrew is a recent college graduate, and is now a contributing member to society.

Is this a problem you think is important?  Why/ Why not?

Absolutely. Childhood obesity is increasing from year to year. In my opinion it’s not necessarily the children’s fault. If I saw an obese child, I would say that its bad parenting. What’s going on in these households, are they letting their kids play video games all day, or making them go outside and get exercise.

Do you think others in our community this is an important problem? why/ why not?

The people that I associate myself around definitely have similar views.

What policy, if any, does government now have to deal with this problem?

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move campaign.

If their is policy around your issue/ problem/ topic, ask these questions:

What are advantages of this policy?

One thing is that food industry executives pledge to reduce the amount of sugar in school lunches. Pediatricians are being encouraged to measure using the body mass index upon checkups. Also, beverage makers are being forced to label their sugary drinks more clearly.

What are disadvantages of this policy?

I think this approach can be very detrimental to the thoughts of a young child. They are ten years old and we are trying to tell them what they can and cannot eat. It makes me a little depressed because their being forced to do something, especially when it comes to something to basic like eating. I think Michelle Obama is moving rather quickly with it, in regards to cutting everyone off.

How might the policy be improved?

I think it could be improved if they broke it down into a phase program, and first started with getting the kids to exercise, then teaching them to eat right, then teaching them how to balance these things on a daily basis. Instead of “Here, you need to eat this, even though you do not like it.”

Does the policy need to be replaced?  why?

No, I don’t think so. I think it’s a good policy if it’s executed properly.

What disagreements, if any, about the policy exist in this community?

There aren’t any that I know of.

Where can I get more information about this problem and the different positions people take on this problem?

http://www.letsmove.gov/

www.google.com

I absolutely agree with Andrew. I think it is partially the parent's fault for letting their children sit around and play video games, and eat the bad foods, instead of teaching them what is better for them and making them play outside. I love his idea of breaking Michelle Obama's campaign down into a phase program. I think that if it were broken down into different parts, children would be more apt to follow it, because they would know how to balance the two.