We Can!™ stands for Ways to Enhance Children's Activity & Nutrition and is a national education program designed for parents and caregivers of children ages 8-13 years old maintain a healthy weight.

We Can!™ is science-based and a collaboration of four institutes within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) --

• The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NIH developed the We Can!™ Program with a focus on three main areas of overweight and obesity -

~ encouraging healthy eating
~ increasing physical activity
~ reducing sedentary or screen time

As the primary influencers for 8-13 year olds, parents and caregivers are one of the main audiences for the Program. We Can!™ offers parents and families tips and fun activities to address healthy eating, physical activity, and sedentary or screen time issues.

The Program also offers community groups and health professionals exciting resources to implement programs and fun activities for parents and youth in communities around the country.

A variety of organizations have joined the We Can!™ community and are making a difference in the lives of families across the country. So far, more than 800 communities have joined We Can!™

As well, We Can!™ has partnered with a variety of National Organizations and Corporations to promote the Program and reach out to families and communities across the country.

We Can!™ Campaign Background

The United States is facing a potentially devastating public health crisis of overweight and obesity. Nearly one-third of all adults are now classified as obese, a figure that has more than doubled over the last 30 years.

Since 1980, obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2-5 and more than tripled among youth ages 6-11 and adolescents ages 12-19.

Recent data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in May 2008 continue to underscore the staggering effect the epidemic has had on children.

According to this study, the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2003-6) indicate that 16.3 percent of children ages 2-19 years are overweight. An additional 15.6 percent are considered at risk of becoming overweight.

Why should we care about managing our families' weight?

There has been a lot of talk lately about how much heavier Americans have been growing since the 1970s.

According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2003-2004), approximately 66 percent of adults are overweight or obese with seventy-two million adult Americans considered obese.

Children have become heavier as well. The percentage of children and teens that are overweight has more than doubled in the past 30 years.

However, recent data suggest that the rate of overweight in children did not increase significantly between 1999 and 2006.

This rate, though, remains alarmingly high. About 16 percent of American children ages 2 to 19, or 1 in 6, are overweight.

Furthermore, the latest data suggest that overweight and obesity are having a greater effect on minorities, including blacks and Mexican-Americans.

Extra pounds can add up to health problems, often for life. In adults, overweight and obesity are linked to increased risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain cancers, and other chronic conditions.

Research has shown that overweight children are at high risk of being overweight or obese as adults.

Formerly called adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is increasingly being seen in children and adolescents, particularly among minority communities.

In a recent national study, 58 percent of children diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were overweight.

For more on childhood overweight and obesity, visit the We Can!™ website.