Sesame Street to herald healthy habits campaign

WASHINGTON – With almost one in three American children packing too many pounds, “Sesame Street” muppets Elmo and Rosita went to Capitol Hill on Thursday to join senators in kicking off a national campaign to trim waistlines.

The effort, called “Healthy Habits for Life”, promotes nutrition and fitness among preschool children to avert the battle of the bulge now faced by 127 million adults.

“We have to reach people at those teaching moments of life,” said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a surgeon.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge for parents to instill healthy habits in our children, but when preschoolers get good advice from their friends on Sesame Street, you know they’ll listen,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Frist noted that the nation has seen a dramatic rise in obesity over the past two decades. The federal government estimates that 300,000 people a year die from problems stemming from obesity, and the health care costs associated with obesity amount to $117 billion a year.

The obesity trend can be reversed with aggressive education of parents and children, said Gary Knell, president and CEO of Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization that addresses childhood development issues.

The group has teamed with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, PBS Kids, Parenting Magazine, the Ad Council, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and others to produce healthy habits messages. Their theme: “Happy, Healthy Monsters.”

Knell said poor eating habits and too little physical activity are the chief causes of the rise in obesity. He said the campaign calls for using “Sesame Street” to teach kids about exercise, good health and nutrition through advertising, books, home videos and interactive media.