Kennesaw Civic Leaders Visit White House

On July 10, Kennesaw City Councilmember Cris Eaton-Welsh and Assistant City Manager Jeff Drobney attended an event at the White House hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama celebrating Kennesaw’s outstanding efforts to complete health and wellness goals over the past year for Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC). 

LMCTC calls upon local elected officials to adopt sustainable and holistic strategies that improve access to healthy, affordable food and opportunities for physical activity.

In her remarks, Michelle Obama said, “(City leaders) are at the forefront of this work, and we need you to continue to lead the way as we work to end our country's epidemic of childhood obesity. We are moving in the right direction, but we need more activity. We need more leadership.”

Since joining LMCTC, Kennesaw’s Let’s Move! efforts include nine medals awarded for action taken to improve access to healthy, affordable food and increase opportunities for physical activity. 

“The LMCTC program gives cities a framework for addressing some of the issues facing families in our communities,” Eaton-Welsh said.  “We’re committed to offering programs, activities and events that get people active, moving, and focused on health and fitness, and we hope our experiences will show other cities how they can have a positive impact on citizen wellness.” 

The presentations also included the findings of a study by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. 

According to new research, poor diet and inadequate physical activity are two of the driving forces behind our nation’s health. 

“Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity in the U.S. cause more health loss than alcohol or drug use,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, head of the US County Health Performance team for IHME and former director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

IHME has released an online tool that allows city leaders, staff, and anyone else interested in data related to obesity to drill down at the county level to examine health indicators such as physical activity, life expectancy, and obesity rates. 

To see county-by-county assessments of life expectancy, physical activity, obesity, and blood pressure, visit www.ihmeuw.org/ushealthmap.