Healthy Living in the Spotlight: President Obama's Message to American Families

July 10, 2009

You know how encouraging it can be when you learn that your goals are shared by others.

Now, imagine that the other individual is the President of the United States.

In a recent speech at the American Medical Association, President Obama voiced his support for improving the health of children through better nutrition, increased physical activity, and reduced screen time. The We Can!® program shares these goals with the President, as it supports families and communities coming together to promote healthy weight in children through healthy lifestyles.

“The second step that we can all agree on is to invest more in preventive care so we can avoid illness and disease in the first place. That starts with each of us taking more responsibility for our health and for the health of our children… raising our children to step away from the video games and spend more time playing outside,” said President Obama. “It also means cutting down on all the junk food that's fueling an epidemic of obesity which puts far too many Americans, young and old, at greater risk of costly, chronic conditions.”

We Can! hopes that those who heard the President’s speech will take his children’s health priorities to heart, echoing them to thousands more, and serving as catalysts for change that could lead to longer, healthier lives for our nation’s most prized resource—our children.