• Obesity is a major and growing problem in the United States

UPDATE: LANSING - Governor Rick Snyder released a message September 14th urging Michiganders, the government, and private sector to help create a healthier Michigan. Governor Snyder would like Michiganders to maintain a healthy diet, regularly exercise, receive annual examinations, and avoid tobacco as part of his proposed "4 x 4 plan." What makes this plan different from other health recommendations is that it includes a set of personal measurements he would like Michiganders to now keep track of. In his "4 x 4 plan," Snyder asks that Michigan residents keep track of their body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels. He has proposed that doctors submit body mass index information to a state registry to track obesity, which some parents disagree with. Some Meridian Township residents feel that the government does not need to keep a record of their children's BMI, and if it did keep a record, then they would want to know who had access to it and how it was being controlled.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Website states that in 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20 percent. In 2010, Michigan's obesity rate was 30.9 percent. In 2008, Ingham county's obesity rate was 29.2. To combat Michigan's growing obesity trends, Snyder says he will push to improve access to healthcare through veteran benefits, updated technology, and improved services to underserved areas.

ORIGINAL STORY: LANSING - Find out how Governor Snyder wants to combat growing obesity trends in Michigan on Meridian Magazine.