According to recent government sources America spends over $120,000,000 (that’s Billion with a B) dollars annually on childhood obesity and related issues. That is to say we spend about the same on obesity as we’re spending on the Iraq war and we’re losing because the problem is getting worse not better. Not only that, we can’t pull out of this one even if we wanted to, which means we have to take a stand and fight.
Only One Percent
In this light I’d like to suggest that we take a mere ONE PERCENT of that $120 billion dollars and REDIRECT IT INTO A WAR ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY designed to naturally immunize kids against obesity for life, eliminate this plague within one decade, save the American taxpayer trillions over the same time period, immediately create 20,000 GOOD PAYING JOBS (400 per state), and improve the life quality and productivity of millions of kids from sea to shining sea.
Let’s Do the Math
Check out the math. One hundred twenty billion times one percent equals $1,200,000,000 (one point two billion dollars). If we paid each childhood obesity prevention specialist an average of $60,000 each we could hire 20,000 of them nationwide. This works out to be an average of 400 new childhood obesity specialists per state who would in turn work with schools, park districts, Boys and Girls Clubs, YM/WCA’s, and churches who are interested in helping their kids naturally immunize themselves against obesity for life.
Starting With Kindergartners
If we did nothing more than start with kindergarten classes across each state using simple height adjustable pull up bars together with a technique called leg assisted pull ups to help students learn to physically pull their own weight, 90% of all kindergartners would be naturally immunized against obesity for life by the end of the school year because kids who can do pull ups are NEVER OBESE. The other 10% would also be well on their way toward natural self immunization. Repeat this scenario for 10 straight years and childhood obesity would be ancient history like polio or the black plague.
2,000,000 Kids Annually Immunized Against Obesity
Let’s examine the possibilities in a little different way. Let’s say that each new specialist worked with (supported) only 10 other adults (teachers, park district, Boys and Girls Club, or pre-school employees) who in turn worked directly with at least 10 kids. Under those conditions we would naturally immunize 40,000 kids (10 X 10 X 400 = 40,000) against obesity for life in each state annually against obesity for life. Nationally that figure would be 2,000,000 kids who would be naturally immunized annually.
10,000,000 Kids Annually Immunized Against Obesity
But these figures are very conservative, the worst case scenario. Let’s say instead that each new specialist worked with 10 schools each week (one in the AM and one in the PM), and each school averaged 50 kindergartners. Under these conditions the number of kids naturally immunized against obesity for life annually explodes to 200,000 kids per state and 10,000,000 nationally.
And under those conditions childhood obesity would be completely eliminated in one decade or less, saving American taxpayer trillions, and making the lives of millions of American kids meaningful and productive in a way that they currently are not.
Meaningful Work Instead of Meaningless Repetition
One final note here is that the 20,000 jobs that we could create immediately with NO NEW MONEY, by redirecting what we’re currently spending in a productive direction, would create meaningful jobs that not only pay well and produce a humongous return on our nation’s investment in the personal infrastructure of our kids, but the childhood obesity prevention specialists themselves will know they’re doing something worth doing, something important, something that will make a difference in the lives of kids and parents across the USA, and maybe the world.
P.S. Dedicate 2% instead of 1% and you automatically DOUBLE these numbers!!
P.S.S. Can you imagine a stronger foundation for a prevention oriented American healthcare system than the elimination of childhood obesity within one decade?
Rick Osbourne spent 17 years as a physical educator and coach. He currently serves as Executive Director of Operation Pull Your Own Weight, (http://www.pullyourownweight.net) an informational website whose claim to