First Lady Michelle Obama is leading the new government initiative “Let’s Move” to reduce obesity in kids. Let’s Move is a comprehensive effort to combine healthier decision making about food and exercise with environments that help make those decisions easier.
As part of the initiative, a number of nudges will be used, including
1) Consumer friendly labels that take into account the actual sizes Americans now eat and are visible on the front of food packages.
2) Tax incentives to encourage grocers to open stores in what are known as “food deserts” — areas without access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
3) A collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics to encourage doctors to monitor children’s body mass index.
4) A national goal of having kids exercise for an hour a day.
Learn more about Let’s Move.
Nudge blog 
February 11, 2010 at 12:36 pm |
I’ve recently started using a Fitbit ($99). My favorite feature is an image of flower on the device’s display. As I make healthy choices over the course of the day (healthy lunch, vigorous exercise), the flower grows. As I make poor choices (being sedentary for ten hours, eating junk food), the flower shrinks.
Of course, it’s possible for each of us to sit down and come to conclusions about our choices without the device. But the flower is a simple, instant feedback mechanism that requires very little effort from the user.
I’ve caught myself taking the stairs instead of the elevator, staying on the treadmill just a few minutes longer, and skipping the french fries at lunch recently. And I attribute it to the flower.
September 13, 2010 at 9:02 pm |
An innovative way to combat childhood obesity is through mobile applications. All kids love phones, iPads,, computers, video games etc.! Why wouldn’t you use that media to reach them? KIDFIT LLC created the first child fitness mobile application and it is currently on all Apple platforms. They will be researching and developing the applications at Howard University for the next 3-5 years. Check it out at http://www.kidfitkids.com and follow it on twitter (www.twitter.com/kidfitkids)!