Let's Move Initiative Case Study

The rate of childhood obesity has grown an enormous amount over the years with more than 40 million children being overweight! That number is astonishingly high and it is very obvious that something needs to be done about this. Studies had shown in 2008 that more than 40 million children were said to be overweight and the sad truth is that they are still increasing rapidly to this day; also every 1 in 4 teenagers is said to not reach the fitness guidelines (Tanner) according to an article by Lindsey Tanner. For this problem to be resolved not only do the parents of children need to make sure their kids are staying active but also, the schools they attend need to make sure they are getting a well-balanced meal and have some type of physical activity during their school day. Each state in America is given a percentage rate on the number of obese people in that particular state. The highest ranking state is Mississippi with a percentage of 34.9 and the state ranking the least is Connecticut with 24.5 percent. Different researches have shown that each day 850 lives are taken due to obesity and each year there are more than 300,000 people that die from obesity related illnesses. These are deaths that most likely could have been avoided if these individuals would have had the proper exercise and diet in their lives.

MOVE! is a weight management health promotion outpatient program designed to improve the lives of Veterans. In 2015 more than three quarters of Veterans receiving care in VHA facilities were considered to be overweight or obese (MOVE! Weight Management Program, n.d.). The goal of the Bruce W. Carter Veteran’s Affair Medical Center (VA) is to annually screen every Veteran who receives care at the facility for obesity, refer individuals to weight management services, and make available different treatment options that fit the needs and preferences of our Veterans (In person communication G. Cuadrado-Umbaugh, March 14,2017). Some of the treatment options are telephone lifestyle coaching, a mobile app for reminders and a group session which has show to have the greatest evidence of participant success (MOVE! Weight Management Program, n.d.). Small weight loss can reduce health risks, prevent or reverse chronic diseases, and improve quality-of-life and longevity (MOVE! Weight Management Program, n.d.) . Every sixteen weeks is the beginning

The United States as a nation is struggling tremendously with high an outrageous obesity rate. According to the documentary “Weight of the Nation,” obesity is number five out of the ten leading causes of death. The lifestyle in the United States has become a “norm” that has to be changed quickly. It is imperative that we as adults draw into our youth the importance of eating healthy. We as people are in control of our own health and can prevent ourselves from getting chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

She hasn’t made great strides, but the baby steps she has taken could build up to something great. Michelle Obama started the school lunch regulations during her time as First Lady. One meal a day that children are eating slightly healthy most likely does not have the greatest effect on their weight, but rather puts the responsibility on the parents to ensure their children are receiving the nutrients necessary to develop a healthy weight (“Bad”). Another main problem relating obesity and eating habits is being malnourished. Malnourished does mean to lack nutrients but does not necessarily mean to not receive plenty of food. This could mean they are receiving the correct amount of food, yet the essential vitamins needed for a heathy weight are not fulfilled. There are people suffering in our country from lack of food and malnutrition when we have people in our own nation who consume more food than necessary causing this dreadful disease. Families who receive a low income are more prone to being obese due to healthy foods at a greater price than those containing high amounts of sugar and fat. Poor eating behaviors are a hard issue to turn around. After developing these behaviors, it can be quite difficult to lose weight and prevent becoming obese (Veit). To make this change, efforts from local and national government, nonprofit organizations, food companies,

Healthy eating for the youth is influenced by the former First Lady by influencing the way students eat. Childhood obesity is an epidemic that has been a very important issue that she wants to put an end to. “Those who closely followed her fight against childhood obesity, however, knew Obama didn't want to exclude anyone from the table. Wal-Mart's plan was significant: By 2015, the company promised, it would reduce sodium by 25%, sugars by 10% and eliminate trans fat in many of its private-label products,“ (Wells). Wal-mart has promised to be a part of this health initiative that Michelle Obama had started. Reducing sodium, sugars, and trans fat are a few things that create a large impact on health. Even some little changes can help the childhood obesity epidemic. “When manufacturers banded together to form the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, they vowed to work with the first lady to cut 1.5 trillion calories from the products they make,” (Wells). Every affect Michelle Obama has on different industries has provided children with healthier products. Partnering with retailers and manufacturers to reduce unhealthy ingredients contributes plenty to the reduction of childhood obesity. Specifically partnering with Wal-Mart deeply grants lower-income families with healthier choices, especially when their financial income

She used her platform specifically to put an end to childhood obesity but also to put an end to food deserts. However, she needed a starting point that would guide her to a better understanding of the root of the problem. Food deserts would be that starting point. No one is born into obesity; there are dozens of factors that lead up to that stage. The primary factors are the food a person consumes and their environment. First Lady Obama first launched her campaign in 2010, envisioning healthier lifestyles for children starting at younger ages. On her formally active campaign page she addressed the need to make sure that families had access to the right foods, received an abundance of support (whether at a macro or micro level), and most importantly that the children stayed physically active throughout their lives. Mrs. Obama received a four-hundred-million-dollar investment for teaming up with big name supermarkets that would open stores in food deserts and in turn receive a tax break (DoSomething, 2015). Unfortunately, at the end of President Barack Obama’s term her campaign came to an end. But the campaign did not go without drawing attention to food deserts and the lack of help those infected neighborhoods were

The Federal Government plays a great role in the health of American children. Michelle Obama, the First Lady, is the founder of the Let’s Move! foundation. This foundation was created no only to get children to be more active, but also strives to provide healthier food for schools. Let’s Move! is meant to empower those who wish to make a difference and reminds us that everybody has a role to play when it comes to reducing childhood obesity. The Federal Government’s role also comes into play with the National School Lunch Program.

Michelle Obama only wants to see growth. Michelle Obama only wants to see kids growing up with healthier lives. She does not want us or anyone else becoming one of those 300,000 that become deceased due to obesity a year. Change is hard. Change may be the only and best thing at this point. Obesity is not a joke. It’s a very serious epidemic that is spreading nationwide. Only one person who has the power to fix that is using it to her advantage. She has done her part now we must do ours. We must realize the facts and not our feelings. Opinions seem to cloud our judgment; facts seem to open it up. Do not be afraid of the truth. We are all in this together. There is no escaping. Rather than fight the system, let’s help it. We can end obesity here and now! All you have to do is think: this is helping

The Obesity epidemic in America has continued due to ignorance. People are aware that eating and excessive amount of food causes obesity and obesity leads to serious health risks. According to,the Obesity Society,“Obesity puts individuals at risk for more than 30 chronic health conditions. They include: type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, gallstones, heart disease, fatty liver disease, sleep apnea GERD...and numerous cancers.”(“What is Obesity”).People have unlimited access to this information, however,millions of Americans are obese. However, if one chooses to acknowledge the issue future issues can be prevented. First lady, Michelle Obama enforced obesity prevention programs in school,such as “Myplate” .(“Team Nutrition”).By enforcing this program she is helping to prevent childhood obesity.

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. Currently, policies in place to address the epidemic of obesity are mostly designed for prevention. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) reports the adoption of “24 environmental and policy level strategies to prevent obesity” as part of the Measures Project evaluation to determine what tools are effective for meeting a standard required to prevent obesity. However, the parent and child should be the primary stakeholders regarding an obesity intervention with an education that includes the environment and others.

Jamie Oliver’s Ted Talk “Teaching every child about food,” captures his great passion and investment in fighting childhood obesity, improving children’s health, and lengthening their life expectancy. Obesity affects not just those that are obese, but family, friends, community, and country. The healthcare expense for obesity in the United States per year is two hundred and ten billion per year and growing, this expense is then passed down to Americans who have to pay more money in health insurance premiums as well as tax dollars to help cover this massive expense. (Oliver, J., 2010)

There is a rising problem plaguing the youth of America, however, according to Michelle Obama, it is not the Cookie Monster or childhood obesity this time around. Moreover, as she stated in a recent presentation at Millwood Elementary School, “it’s the overall lack of such obesity.” Our first lady’s opinion on the matter has made an impressive 180 turn. She cites her change of heart to an issue that is stealing our children away from us faster than someone can eat a McDonald’s small French fry: kidnapping.

“Let’s move!” was a public health campaign, created by Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States in 2010. Let’s Move aims to decrease the rate of childhood obesity to 5% by 2030. The purpose of the health campaign was to raise public awareness about the problem of childhood obesity and creating a better lifestyle for children. Five main goals of the campaign are creating a healthy start for children, Empowering parents and caregivers, providing healthy food in schools, improving access to healthy, affordable foods, and increasing physical activity. The Let’s Move! initiative has also created various programs across the nation with federal agencies, private businesses, and nonprofit organization to help kids and families.

Northouse (2016) describes that the “Path-Goal Theory is designed to explain how leaders can help followers along the path to their goals by selecting specific behaviors that are best suited to followers’ needs and to the situation in which the followers are working” (pg. 116), Mrs. Obama has been mostly a supportive and participative leader during her time as first lady and through advocating her initiatives. As a supportive leader, she has been approachable and friendly, especially towards children, who need nurturance and human touch that a supportive leader should give. She has also been participative, since her followers, the American population, require clarity on how to reach goals, in the Let’s Move case, how to have a healthier lifestyle.

After observing the latest statistics on the current generation of children in America, Michelle Obama setup the Nutritional Standards in the National School Breakfast Program, which set out to provide healthier meals to children everyday through the school (“USDA Unveils Historic Improvements to Meals Served in America’s Food”). This was what seemed like just the change the country needed to turn the tide in the fight against childhood obesity. This