Childhood obesity in Leon County continues to rise. Saturday's (4/8) "Stomp out Childhood Obesity" event at the Tallahassee Museum was designed to raise both awareness and heart rates in an effort to combat the problem.
Bodies young and old were moving to the music throughout Saturday morning's hip-hop happening. Participants took part in a bracing power walk around the Museum grounds and also stopped by dozens of booths handing out healthy living information as well as various prizes. For Nick Maddox, Leon County commissioner who also heads the Foundation for Leon County Schools, the prize was the degree of participation.
"The turnout is absolutely awesome!" Maddox exclaimed excitedly. "Everybody jumped on board with this thing. We probably had about 4-5 thousand people out here today, easy!"
Meanwhile, school district and local public health officials are struggling to reverse an ominous trend. Over the past decade, the incidence of overweight and obese young people in Leon County has continued to increase.
