Combating the childhood obesity epidemic and encouraging smokers to quit are two of the key recommendations made by the state’s Commission on Wellness and Healthy Living. Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge says making a healthy Iowa will involve removing unhealthy foods from schools and improving the health of the state’s children.
"The issue of childhood obesity is one that has really reached a crisis point in Iowa and across the country," Judge said Thursday in Mason City. "We need to get it under control. Children developing type two diabetes in their teen years because they’re overweight is just really unacceptable."
One of the commission’s goals is to remove vending machines that contain sugary snacks from schools. Judge says kids should be offered healthier options. Judge stopped at the Mason City Senior Activity Center to present the recommendations from the commission. Commission members held ten town hall meetings across the state earlier this year.