Robert Wood Johnson Foundation doubles its commitment to helping all children grow up at a healthy weight
Recognizing that obesity remains one of the biggest threats to the health of our children, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) recently announced it will commit $500 million over the next ten years to expand efforts to ensure that all children in the United States can grow up at a healthy weight. Building on a $500 million commitment made in 2007, the nation’s largest health philanthropy will have dedicated more than $1 billion to reversing the childhood obesity epidemic. With this new pledge, RWJF signals its commitment to expand and accelerate progress to date, with an intensified focus on those places and populations hardest hit by the epidemic. New work will advance strategies that help eliminate health disparities that contribute to higher obesity rates among children of color and children living in poverty across the United States. The Foundation also announced an expanded focus on preventing obesity in early childhood and on engaging parents, youth, and health care providers to be active champions for healthier communities and schools.
“By 2025, we want to ensure that children in America grow up at a healthy weight, no matter who they are or where they live,” said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD. “We have made substantial progress, but there is far more to do and we can’t stop now. This commitment is part of the Foundation’s effort to build a Culture of Health in every community across the country. We all have a role to play in our homes, schools, and neighborhoods to ensure that all kids have healthy food and safe places to play.”
Building on work the Foundation has implemented previously, RWJF will support research, action and advocacy strategies focused on the following priorities over the next decade:
- Ensure that all children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight.
- Make a healthy school environment the norm and not the exception across the United States.
- Make physical activity a part of the everyday experience for children and youth.
- Make healthy foods and beverages the affordable, available, and desired choice in all neighborhoods and communities.
- Eliminate the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among 0-5 year olds.