(C) 2011 Reuters.  Entire article retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/19/usa-mcdonalds-idUSN1824989420110419 * Toys in Happy Meals unfairly lure children-lawsuit * Plaintiff mother can always say no, says McDonald's * Lawsuit should be dismissed, company says SAN FRANCISCO, April 18 (Reuters) - A lawsuit that seeks to stop McDonald's from selling Happy Meals must be dismissed because parents can always prohibit their children from eating them, the hamburger giant said in a court filing on Monday. The lawsuit claims McDonald's unfairly uses toys to lure children into its restaurants....


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(C) 2011 Bizjournals.com.  Entire article retrieved from: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2011/04/18/texas-lawmakers-to-debate-soda-tax.html Despite lawmaker pledges not to raise taxes, one Texas senator proposed a new tax he hopes will help with the budget deficit and improve the health of Texans. “I’m trying to find a way of addressing one of the most important issues in our daily lives — health care,” said Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, author of Senate Bill 1004, which would tax natural- or artificially-sweetened soft drinks. The bill would add a tax of a penny per ounce,...


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(C) 2011 Huffington Post.  Entire article retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/22/evangelicals-resist-obama_n_839267.html WASHINGTON -- Evangelicals are the only major religious group where a majority opposes the federal government's efforts to reduce childhood obesity, a Pew Research Center survey shows. Asked if the government should play a significant role in reducing childhood obesity, 56 percent of white evangelicals said it should not, compared to 42 percent who said it should. Overall, 57 percent of Americans favored such a government role while 39 percent did not. First...


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(C) 2011 LA Times.  Entire article retrieved from: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-lets-move-assess-20110320,0,5932701.story?page=2 To ensure compliance with the bill, one school per district nationwide will be audited every three years, said Wootan. "The review that they do is so comprehensive and labor intensive [that] it's hard for them to do many more schools," she said, adding that she'd like to see the review process more streamlined. Some experts, however, see the bill as falling short of what kids need. "I think we need universal school meals," said Nestle, referring to lunches...


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(C) 2011 Gather.com.  Entire article retrieved from: http://celebs.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474979119202 Beyonce is no stranger to fitness and exercise, seeing as how she's been on the go for over a decade now both singing, dancing, and acting her way into our hearts. And with her most recent project, she'll be putting her fitness skills to good use, supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to combat childhood obesity. Beyonce has re-written and re-recorded one of her songs for middle school students across the U.S. to perform a pre-choreographed dance...


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(C) 2011 Nacsonline.com.  Entire article retrieved from: http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/News/Daily/Pages/ND0221113.aspx CAMDEN, N.J. – Campbell Soup Co. will spend $10 million over the next decade to lower obesity and hunger rates among children in its hometown of Camden, N.J., the Courier-Post reports. The first phase of the program will concentrate on elementary schools and services in Parkside and North Camden. “We plan to concentrate our efforts on these sites in Camden and gradually expand to other locations until we have a citywide program,” said Denise Morrison, COO of Campbell’s....


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Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. The prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The prevalence of obesity among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 18.1%.1,2 Obesity is the result of caloric imbalance (too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed) and is mediated by genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors.3,4 Childhood obesity has both immediate and long-term health impacts: * Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease,...


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Hello, It is my pleasure to introduce childhood obesity as one of the human rights causes that the Tolerance, Equality, and Awareness Movement will cover. This is part of our effort to equalize representation of all human rights causes. We understand that we haven't had equal coverage on all of our topics. We are striving to improve upon our mission and vision. If you would like to become a contributing writer, please contact me at chris.surfus@humanrightsteam.org. TEAM will be focusing a great deal on Childhood Obesity in the coming months, and we hope to start a major project within the community...


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(C) 2011 News10 and ABC. Entire article retrieved from: http://www.news10.net/news/story.aspx?storyid=123385&catid=2 SACRAMENTO, CA - Sacramento city councilman Kevin McCarty believes a soda tax could play an important role in the fight against childhood obesity. McCarty contends money from the tax could be used to pay for fitness programs that have been cut in recent years at parks, community centers and schools. But Lisa Turner who was visiting Old Sacramento with her daughter said the government shouldn't be getting involved. "They just need to promote individual responsibility," said...


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