| The New York Times reported, in an April 2007 article, | | | | to address a variety of global problems. |
| that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation plans to | | | | Robert Wood Johnson, who built Johnson & Johnson |
| spend more than $500 million over the next five years | | | | into one of the world's largest health and medical care |
| to reverse the increase in childhood obesity nationally, | | | | products companies, established his foundation at his |
| including Texas. It is one of the largest public health | | | | death in 1968 with 10,204,377 shares of the company's |
| initiatives ever tried by a private philanthropy. | | | | stock. He committed it to improving the health of |
| "This is an epidemic that is going to cost the country in | | | | Americans. |
| terms of morbidity and mortality and economically," | | | | The foundation played a major role in curbing tobacco |
| said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, the foundation's | | | | use in this country, spending $446 million from 1991 to |
| president and chief executive. "The younger | | | | 2003 toward that goal, and it plans to use those |
| generation is going to live sicker and die younger than | | | | experiences to shape its attack on childhood fat. |
| their parents because of obesity." | | | | Since 1995, the number of adult and teenage smokers |
| The foundation estimates that roughly 25 million | | | | has declined 12.6 percent and 18 percent, respectively. |
| children 17 and under are obese or overweight, nearly | | | | "It was a very carefully thought-out strategic initiative," |
| a third of the 74 million in that age group, according to | | | | said Joel L. Fleishman, a professor of law and public |
| Census Bureau data and a 2006 study published in | | | | policy at Duke University. The foundation underwrote |
| The Journal of the American Medical Association. | | | | research, prevention and smoking-cessation programs, |
| Many of those children are poor and live in | | | | and increased awareness of smoking's dangers. |
| neighborhoods where outdoor play is unsafe and | | | | Over the last few years, the foundation has pledged |
| access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited. "In | | | | $80 million to childhood obesity programs, like grants to |
| many cases, the environment makes it almost | | | | the Food Trust to persuade supermarket operators to |
| impossible for them to choose healthy lifestyles," Dr. | | | | return to poor neighborhoods. |
| Lavizzo-Mourey said. "We're going to try to change | | | | Its new effort intends to capitalize on and enhance |
| that." | | | | efforts by the food industry and school districts and |
| The foundation plans to invest in programs to improve | | | | governments to address the problem, Dr. |
| access to healthy food, encourage the development | | | | Lavizzo-Mourey said. Several snack food producers |
| of safe play spaces, increase research to enhance | | | | are making changes in their packaging and ingredients, |
| understanding of obesity and prod governments into | | | | and three soft-drink companies said they would no |
| adopting policies to address the problem, among other | | | | longer supply sweetened drinks to school cafeterias |
| things. | | | | and vending machines. |
| Experts on childhood obesity welcomed the | | | | Several states have mandated changes in school |
| foundation's plans. | | | | menus, increased physical education requirements and |
| "Government grants for biomedical research in general, | | | | begun reporting students' body mass index scores to |
| including obesity research, are being funded at the | | | | parents. |
| lowest levels I've seen in my career," said Dr. David | | | | In Arkansas, which has one of the most |
| Ludwig, director of the Optimal Weight for Life Clinic at | | | | comprehensive programs aimed at the problem, |
| Children's Hospital Boston and author of a new book, | | | | obesity among the 450,000 children in 1,300 public |
| "Ending the Food Fight." "So we are especially | | | | schools has plateaued. |
| dependent on philanthropic support." | | | | Obesity is a growing American epidemic that takes |
| Philanthropy has long fueled improvements in health, | | | | root early in life. It imposes a variety of health risks that |
| from John D. Rockefeller, whose money produced a | | | | can appear at any phase in life. As you'll discover, |
| yellow fever vaccine, to Bill and Melinda Gates, who | | | | what affects your health also will eventually affect |
| are underwriting new health technologies and vaccines | | | | your bank account. |