In one of the largest public health efforts ever attempted by a private philanthropy, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has pledged a stunning $500,000,000 for programs designed to combat childhood obesity. A story in the New York Times reports:

The foundation estimates that roughly 25 million children 17 and under are obese or overweight, nearly a third of the 74 million in that age group, according to Census Bureau data and a 2006 study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Many of those children are poor and live in neighborhoods where outdoor play is unsafe and access to fresh fruits and vegetables is limited. “In many cases, the environment makes it almost impossible for them to choose healthy lifestyles,” Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey said. “We’re going to try to change that.”

Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey is the Foundation’s President and Chief Executive. Robert Wood Johnson built Johnson & Johnson from a small, innovative family firm into one of the world's largest health and medical care products conglomerates. He established the Foundation to be exclusively devoted to improving the health and health care of all Americans. RWJF supports training, education, research and projects that demonstrate effective ways to deliver health services, especially for the most vulnerable

To read the New York Times report on the Johnson Foundation pledge go to: $500 Million Pledged to Fight Childhood Obesity

To learn more about the Foundation visit the web site: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation