By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo is one of 41 cities in the nation selected for a program to fight childhood obesity.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is providing a $360,000 grant to a local partnership led by the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. It's for an initiative called "Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities." Project Director Michael Ball says the goal is making the environmental and policy changes that will lead to more active children who are eating healthier.
"This grant will help empower our community to take a strong stance on preventing childhood obesity," Ball said. "One of the strengths of our community is the great work by a number of dedicated individuals and organizations working toward improving the health and well-being of children in Buffalo today."
Ball says strides have already been made by the partners they're working with, including the University at Buffalo, the Massachusetts Avenue Project, the Wellness Institute and Green Options Buffalo. He also says the city's track record was a factor in Buffalo being selected out of the more than 500 proposals that were submitted.
The rate of childhood obesity nationwide has risen over the past 30 years from just five percent of children to now more than 18 percent. Overweight children are more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure or heart disease as children of normal weight.
