Preventing childhood obesity for a healthier tomorrow.

Welcome to the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center

Welcome to the official website of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children’s Hospital. We offer this site as a dedicated resource for parents, children and health care providers fighting to end childhood obesity.

Over the last several decades, eating habits and levels of physical activity have changed due to shifts in culture, media use and economics. On the whole, children in the U.S. are eating less healthful foods, and more of them. They are also exercising less. The result is an epidemic that puts happy, healthy futures in danger.

Consider these childhood obesity statistics:

• One in every three children ages 2-19 is overweight or obese.
   
• Among African-American and Hispanic populations, one in every two adolescents is overweight or obese.

In addition, as a result of obesity:

• More children than ever are developing complicated medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, liver disease and atherosclerosis (fatty blockages in the arteries).
   
• The current generation may be the first to have shorter, less healthy lives than their parents due to obesity-related complications.

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes or simple solutions. Reversing the trend, especially among populations most at risk, will take time and the coordinated efforts of individuals, families, communities, businesses and the government. We believe it is possible. This determination to make childhood—and the lifetime that follows—a healthy and happy one is what unites Boston Children’s Hospital and the New Balance Foundation.

New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center

Children's "Steps Up to the Plate" to battle obesity

Hosted by Center director David Ludwig, MD, PhD, the event featured remarks by: 

• Jody Adams, acclaimed local chef and owner of Rialto Restaurant
• Cara Ebbeling, PhD, associate director for Research and Training at the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children's Hospital
• Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission
• Sam Kass, assistant White House chef and senior policy advisor for Health Food Initiatives
• Eric Rimm, ScD, associate professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health

Learn more about "Step Up to the Plate."

View the event menu (.pdf file).

Download Jody Adams' healthy recipes.