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Tuesday talk: Can Michelle Obama make kids slimmer

It's the second Tuesday for our Tuesday Talk series and this week, hopefully, we'll get some discussion on a topic a little more serious than last week's (which was do you make or buy Valentine's): First Lady Michelle Obama's new campaign to thin down our kids

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Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

It's the second Tuesday for our Tuesday Talk series and this week, hopefully, we'll get some discussion on a topic a little more serious than last week's (which was do you make or buy Valentine's): First Lady Michelle Obama's new campaign to thin down our kids.

Last week, Mrs. Obama launched the campaign and a website at letsmove.gov, with tips for parents, healthy recipes and more details about her plans.

Mrs. Obama already has put a spotlight on food and what we eat in the last year. Thanks to her, the White House has its first vegetable garden in decades. And she has spoken frequently about her own family's reliance on fast and processed foods until her daughters' pediatrician raised some warning flags.

In her announcement last week, the First Lady said it was crucial to get a handle on childhood obesity. About a third of children are obese, according to the Let's Move website. Overall, obesity rates in the United States have tripled in the last 30 years. And American children may face a shorter than expected lifespan than their parents.

The campaign will aim to give parents support they need, work to provide healthier food in schools, help kids be more physically active and make healthy, affordable food available in all parts of the country.

So what do you think? Is childhood obesity a problem? Will this work?

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