CNN 2010-02-22

The first family launched a campaign against childhood obesity¹. Well, the president signing a memorandum² on it. Michelle Obama says the surge in overweight kids has created a public health crisis.

In fact, the percentage of obese³ children has more than tripled since 1970. The first lady says her goal is to eliminate childhood obesity within a generation. Well, Michelle Obama is calling on parents to take a more active role in their children's health but the campaign also calls for big changes in schools.

Our next guest would have a big hand in such a transformation⁴. That being Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who was with the Obamas to launch the initiative and he joins me now live from the North Lawn of the White House.

Secretary Vilsack thanks so much for taking some time out to talk about this today. And I think the person that we want to know about is exactly how are schools are going to play a role in this.

TOM VILSACK, SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: Well Betty, the schools have an opportunity every single school day to provide school breakfast and school lunch and the key for us is to make sure that those lunches are as nutritious⁵ and high quality as possible which is why we're asking Congress when they reauthorized the Child Nutrition Act to provide resources for fruits and vegetables so we can improve the quality of those meals and also make sure that every youngster who is entitled to receive them does in fact receive them.

NGUYEN: But you know, healthy food is often more expensive, so can schools really afford to revamp its school lunch programs?

VILSACK: Well, I don't think we can afford not to. The cost in terms of academic performance and also health care are astronomical⁶. Youngsters who are overweight or youngsters who are hungry just simply don't learn as well. And the fact is that youngsters who are overweight carry that into adulthood⁷ with the onset⁸ of chronic⁹ diseases.

So it's really an investment in the future of this country and frankly¹⁰, I think if we do a good job of looking at creative menus we can reduce the costs.

NGUYEN: Does that include school gardens? Because we know that the first lady is a big proponent¹¹ of gardening. And I just want to know if schools is in fact do create these school gardens on campus will it produce enough food that can be used within the cafeterias?

VILSACK: Absolutely. We've seen examples of that in our travels across the country. Schools are engaged in these gardening projects which are also great learning experiences for the youngsters. An opportunity, also, to hook up with your local grocery store so that the produce can actually be sold and generate revenue for the schools.

There are a multitude of ways in which we need to focus on this and it also provides physical activity. And we want to see as part of this an increase in wellness and physical education. It's a combination of nutrition and more physical activity that's going to get us over the hump in terms of obesity.

NGUYEN: Yes, but it's also a combination of funding as well isn't it? Because it's going to take money to create these programs and schools have lost a lot of programs because of funding? Is this something that schools can afford and what kind of role will Congress play in this?

VILSACK: Well, the president has made this a priority in his budget that was submitted to Congress. We've asked for an additional billion dollars annually¹² to provide resources to improve the quality and access to these meals.

It's a priority for the president and we're certainly hopeful that we can work with Congress to make it a priority for Congress as well. And we've received indications from leadership that they are certainly supportive.

NGUYEN: One last thing, the first lady says that she hopes to eliminate childhood obesity within a generation. Do you really think that's possible?

 

1 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

2 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

3 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

4 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

5 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

6 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

7 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

8 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

9 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

10 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

11 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

12 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。