While doing research on childhood obesity as part of my research project, I looked at what other countries were doing to tackle obesity and used those as case studies for my presentation.
One way the United States is responding to childhood obesity is the First Lady's Let's Move! campaign which focuses on encouraging kids and parents to make healthy choices by exercising and eating healthy food.
I had already done a lot of research on the internet and wanted to find out if there were any published progress reports. So I called the US Department of Health, and when talking to a customer service representative, she said, "Well let me just transfer you to the office of the First Lady."
Um, ok!
It's pretty cool what you can get access to when you are actually working for a government. On top of speaking to someone from the First Lady's office, which I found very exciting, I also got to speak with a policy developer from the Department of Health in the UK.
But I will say that while the policy developer from the UK was very helpful, all I got from the Let's Move! campaign, was an automated e-mail WEEKS later with information that I already knew. Nobody ever called me back. (although in their defense, if I REALLY needed the information, i could have been more aggressive in getting it).
Hmph, thanks a lot America.
;)
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