Here’s some cheerful news to start your weekend with—According to a report released yesterday, 34% of Massachusetts students are overweight or obese. That means that about 1 in 3 of the 110,000 students assessed during the 2008-2009 school year were are at elevated risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. Researchers linked the disparities in different areas to income.

Though there’s a lot less money in community nutrition than there is in helping rich folks lose those last five or ten pounds in private practice, I find myself really charged up by articles like this. It makes me want to go, I don’t know, sit down with parents, kids, and school officials and talk to them about what they’re eating and how they could improve. Not only is the health of our country’s citizens at stake, but the health of the country itself is going to be affected if so many of its inhabitants are functioning on a less than optimal level. This is not just about weight and body image and food. Clearly, there are some serious problems that have not been addressed.

You can read more here.

American, get your s**t together and get going on that Childhood Nutrition Act!