More than 2,000 health care workers, educators and government officials came together this week to share research and strategies for tackling childhood obesity.
The eighth Childhood Obesity Conference was held at San Diego's Town and Country Resort and Conference Center. The three-day conference attracted people like Chelsea Clinton and Tom Torlakson, the state's superintendent of public instruction.
Torlakson on Wednesday told attendees that summer could actually hurt children.
“The lunch during the summer and the lunch they have during the school year five days a week — that’s where they get their major source of nutrients,” Torlakson said. “Across the country there’s not enough students at the centers where these meals are being served."
But a renewed focus on staying fit and eating right is having an impact, Torlakson said.
“The good news is the emphasis on nutrition and exercise together is making a difference,” he said. “We are rebuilding our accountability system in California so we’re going to have a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional definition of success."
