Interesting way to fight obesity
June 13, 2006
Albany-- Young Americans continue to put on the pounds and the American Medical Association is considering an interesting way to fight obesity.
A committee of AMA doctors proposed a federal tax on sugar-sweetened soft drinks. Consumer groups estimate a tax of one cent per drink would raise more than a billion dollars a year.
The revenue could pay for anti-obesity efforts such as healthier meals in schools and more physical activity programs such as "Youth Being Healthy." The Coordinator of that Albany program says it would be a big step in the right direction.
"I look at it as similar to the tobacco tax where they're using that money to educate youngsters about not using tobacco. Well I'm hoping the same thing will result from this when they tax the soft drinks and I hope it moves on to other vending machine items," says Jackson.
For her work with overweight kids, Jackson was featured as one of Jacque Reid's Jewels Tuesday morning on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, a national radio program. She hopes more nationwide attention will be given to the growing problem of childhood obesity.
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