By Lauren Wainwright

Michelle Obama has decided to fight childhood obesity head-on. The first lady has made many appearances, just this past Wednesday speaking at the national PTA conference.

Obama’s goal is to eliminate childhood obesity in the next generation. Her plan to reach this goal is to change the lifestyles – snack foods, amount of exercise, and so on – of today’s youth. The Let’s Move campaign aims to give parents the support they need to make healthier decisions for their children.

According to Obama, this new phenomenon of childhood obesity is because children in today’s world live a different life than those in the past.

“But we have to begin by understanding how we got here, what’s caused this crisis in the first place. And I have my theories, but when you all think about it, this is a relatively new phenomenon. This wasn’t something that we were dealing with when I was growing up. Back when we were all growing up, most of us led lives that naturally kept us at a healthy weight,” Obama said in a pitch to the National Governor’s Association in D.C. on February 20, 2010.

Obama emphasized that it is not the laziness of the child that is creating this problem but the inaction of the adults in that same pitch.

“We have to be honest with ourselves: Our kids didn’t do this to themselves. Our kids didn’t decide whether there’s time for recess or gym class, or our kids don’t decide what’s served to them in the school cafeteria. Our kids don’t decide whether to build playgrounds and parks in their neighborhoods or whether to bring supermarkets and farmer’s markets to their communities. We set those priorities. We make those decisions. And even if it doesn’t feel like we’re in charge, we are,” said Obama.

In response to a similar quotation from Obama at the March 10^th National PTA Conference, the New York Times offered Obama advice on trying to tell parents how to feed their children.

“With Republicans casting her husband’s White House as an agent of big government, Mrs. Obama must be careful not to cast herself in the role of the food police, chiding parents about how they feed their children. And her campaign could prove contentious if the first lady ruffles feathers within the food industry by complaining about the marketing of junk food, as she did on Tuesday,” said Sheryl Gay Stolberg.

Obama hopes to change the lifestyles of children by promoting new healthy habits and also installing new playgrounds, sidewalks and other public areas for physical activity. Whether or not this can become a reality is questionable due to the current economic state of the country.

“The kinds of changes Mrs. Obama envisions will be easier said than done, especially in an economy where every penny count,” said Stolberg, “Lorna Donatone, the Sodexo official who worked with the White House on the obesity initiative, said her company was already trying to substitute healthier school lunch choices — low-fat cheese on pizza, baked chicken tenders instead of fried — but faces resistance from school districts who view such moves as too costly.”

President Obama has signed an executive order to mandate “optimal coordination” between federal agencies and departments. Examples of these departments include the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Labor and Health and Human Services, all of which could have an effect on his wife’s campaign against obesity.