Why is childhood obesity prevention so important to the Group?
We want the children of our county to grow up to be healthy & active adults. The rates of childhood obesity in Contra Costa County are rising at alarming rates. Obesity in children can lead to multiple health issues including type II diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and fatty liver disease among other things. The East County Regional Group believes that we can stop this epidemic in young children by focusing on prevention. It’s important for families to make healthy choices about what they eat and how active they are. But, it is equally important for our communities to be set up in a way that makes it easy to eat healthy and be active. We need safe and affordable places for kids to play and they need access to affordable healthy foods. As a teacher I know that healthy children are much easier to teach and they learn much easier. It’s a win-win for everyone. How has being in the group changed you? I am much more relaxed speaking to adults instead of just children. I can drag 20
