New Interagency Task Force to Continue Citywide Success at Obesity Reduction
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Linda I. Gibbs, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas A. Farley and Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott announced today that, following years of pioneering policies to improve child nutrition and encourage exercise, obesity rates among New York City public elementary and middle school students have decreased over the past five school years across all race and ethnic groups. This marks the biggest decline in childhood obesity reported to date by any large city in the country and stands in sharp contrast to the stagnant nationwide rates. The overall obesity rates among NYC kindergartners through eighth graders decreased 5.5 percent with the sharpest decline seen among children ages 5 to 6 years old.