T.J. Thomson: Promoting healthy, active lifestyles for Boise's children is my "No. 1 priority"

T.J. Thomson

The health of Boise's residents is effectively being addressed by the city council, according to the Idaho Statesman.

 
City Councilman T.J. Thomson said promoting healthy, active lifestyles for Boise's children is his "No. 1 priority" in city government. In one recent example, the capacity for a workshop which focused on the problem of childhood obesity, was 25. "The number of participants exceeded capacity by seven," the Statesman reported. "The waiting list was about 70,"

The next two workshops will examine nutrition and physical activity for children in daycare. Demand for those sessions is just as strong as for the first one, said Amy Stahl, a city spokeswoman who co-chairs Boise's Let’s Move! committee.

"There's obviously a need for this kind of outreach, and the childcare providers were hungry for information," Stahl said.



Let’s Move!  is a comprehensive initiative, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama. dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.

Combining comprehensive strategies with common sense, Let’s Move! is about putting children on the path to a healthy future during their earliest months and years: Giving parents helpful information and fostering environments that support healthy choices;  providing healthier foods in our schools; ensuring that every family has access to healthy, affordable food;  and, helping children become more physically active.

Thomson is working on several policy initiatives in the coming months that should have a positive impact in this area. His work could potentially 'move the needle' in the battle against the child obesity epidemic we are facing as a nation.

Boise has enlisted dozens of partners, including schools, health organizations, city departments, private companies and nonprofits. Thomson compared the push to combat obesity to the city's year-old ban on smoking in bars. They're both a matter of shepherding public health, one of the city's core responsibilities, he said.

"Local communities, municipal governments in particular, have to step up and play a major role here if it's not going to happen at the state level, which it's not," Thomson said.