While the First Lady of the United States of America has no official title or responsibilities, it has become tradition for the women in this arguably influential role to associate themselves with a humanitarian cause during their husbands administration. In the past few decades we have seen examples of this in Laura Bush’s efforts in support of womens’ rights and childhood literacy, Hillary Clinton’s push for Health Care reform, and (perhaps most famously) Nancy Reagan and her Just Say No anti-drug campaign. First Lady Michelle Obama is no exception to this tradition, and she’s taken up the fight against what many feel is an increasingly dangerous threat to our overall health as a nation – childhood obesity.
According to statistics from the Center for Disease Control, the number of children who are overweight to the point of obesity has increased dramatically since 1980. The percentage of children aged 12 to 19 who fell into this extremely unhealthy weight range (generally considered to be 50 pounds or more overweight) increased from 5% to a stunning 17.6% in 2006, more than tripling the 1980 numbers. Unsurprisingly, research has shown that nearly 80% of children who are obese between the ages of 10 and 15 continue to hold that unhappy distinction into adulthood. With obesity being linked to serious life threatening diseases such as Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease, it is clear that this trend is not only bad for our well-being as a nation but that it is also puts a strain on our already financially strapped health care system.
Let’s Move! is a campaign that First Lady Obama is spearheading to try and combat the rising tide of childhood obesity. According to the website, the goal is to actually solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. A fairly lofty goal considering how rapidly our waist lines have been expanding; However, by pushing for things like healthy food choices in our public schools and encouraging children to be more physically active the First Lady truly seems to believe she can make a difference.
One way in which the campaign is attempting to reach children is through technology. Despite several disparaging remarks that her has husband made about kids and their love of video games, First Lady Obama seems to recognize that in order to effectively get her message across she’s going to have to communicate with kids in a way they understand. To that end, the Let’s Move campaign just launched Apps For Healthy Kids, a competition offering $40,000 in prizes to create “innovative, fun and engaging software tools” to help children (and their parents) learn how to lead healthier lives. Unlike the Humana Games For Health Insert Coin competition, Apps For Healthy Kids is not seeking game concepts but completed applications that they can offer up for free on their web site. The developers retain all rights to the submitted application, but must agree to allow their work to be downloaded for free one year after being selected as a winner.
The contest is open to residents of the United States aged 13 and older. The deadline to submit your application for consideration is June 30th, 2010. For a complete breakdown of the rules and submission guidelines, visit the Apps For Healthy Kids home page.