Against a backdrop of startling statewide childhood obesity statistics, several encouraging projects launched in Baton Rouge are meant to help boys and girls slim down. Gardens have emerged in several schools and neighborhoods, including low-income areas where residents lack access to affordable healthy food. Elsewhere, parents have begun the process of school lunch reform. Volunteer groups have created significant opportunities for children to engage in exercise. And the local park system has dedicated more than $8 million in park improvements or new facilities. In Louisiana, the overweight and obesity rate is 48%, reports the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge—one of the world’s leading obesity and nutrition research institutions. Read the 225 magazine cover story about the fight against fat here.
Some Baton Rougeans wage the fight for healthy children
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