First Lady Michelle Obama said the anti-obesity Let's Move initiative she launched a year ago is helping to provide healthy food and more information about the meals parents are giving their children.

At the same time, the initiative has recruited role model athletes and 500 mayors across the country have committed to tackling the youth obesity epidemic by building bike paths and starting youth recreation leagues.

"It wasn't clear that we would get the kind of momentum that we are seeing over the course of the year. This issue is so big, it's so complicated. Often times our team asked ourselves: Is the country really ready? Are people going to step up in important ways? Are we going to be able to engage every sector" Obama said in a telephone press conference.

"But I'm proud and hopeful to say the answer has been a resounding yes. We are starting to see a fundamental shift in the conversation about how we eat, how we move and how we grow and get our food. We have seen what many called a hopeless scenario turned into hope with real solutions and some very good momentum."

The first lady visited Atlanta today to discuss what Let's Move has accomplished so far. She said this "fundamental shift" in how Americans think about food is only the beginning in the battle against obesity.

"We've built a nation-wide movement-- and I do call it a movement-- to make sure that kids all throughout this country have everything they need to be healthy," Obama said.

A movement is necessary to address the problem because the statistics regarding youth obesity are frightening.



One in three kids is overweight or obese. Approximately 12.5 million kids and teens are obese, about 17 percent of that total population. The epidemic has also grown by exponential proportions.

The percentage of obese children ages 6 to 11 has more than tripled to 19.6 percent from 6.5 percent in 1980. During the same period, the obesity rates of adolescents from 12 to 19 years old increased to 18.1 percent from 5 percent. These rates are having a devastating effect on our health but are also challenging us in ways we might not think about. For example, Obama said, 27 percent of 17-24 year-olds are too overweight to serve in the military.

The Let's Move initiative has tried to tackle the problem in a variety of ways. There are efforts underway to bring more healthy foods into areas now known as food desserts. Obama said it is impossible to tell a parent to feed their kids healthy foods if healthy foods are not available where they live.

"One of the critical issues we've seen across the country is that in so many under served communities they don't have access to large grocery stores that sell fresh produce. We need to correct that and our goal is to eliminate food desserts in 7 years," said Obama.

Food manufactures have made a "Healthy Weight Commitment," to cut 1.7 trillion calories from their food products. Wal-Mart, one of the country's biggest retailers, has agreed to sell products with less salt and sugar and reduce the price of healthy items like fruits and vegetables.

In the schools, an effort is being made at having better food for kids to eat. More than 2,000 professional chefs have agreed to help schools produce healthier menus and 6,000 schools will be getting salad bars. President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law last year to accomplish some of those goals.

"We are pushing kids to actually get moving. Let's Move is not just a slogan, it is a call to action. Our kids have to be active and moving every day," Obama said.

The first lady challenged parents, schools, churches and corporate America to make the second year of the program an even greater success.

"In the year ahead, when we look forward at year two, what we want to see is more. We want to challenge everyone to do more. We need more schools participating...we need more parents engaged, stepping up and changing habits and behaviors in the home and looking for the advice and sharing best practices with other families," said Obama.

"We've seen a lot of progress in this first year but there is still a long way to go. With one in three kids in our country either overweight or obese we are nowhere near the finish line. We have a lot of work to do," added Obama. "I am proud of this country embracing what is an important health issue for all of us."