Cigna CEO David Cordani today joined with ChildObesity180 and 12 other health plans to kick off a competition among the nation’s schools to identify the best programs that inspire children to be physically active.
The Active Schools Acceleration Project (ASAP) Innovation Competition will award $500,000 in prizes to schools with the most innovative, impactful, and cost-effective physical activity programs, and to technology developers who create new ways of using technology to promote increased physical activity among today’s youth.
“The very best way to ensure a healthy life is to begin exercising and eating right as a child,” said Cordani, who is a charter member of ChildObesity180. “Schools play a critical role in encouraging children to be active and in supporting healthy lifestyles from a young age.”
One out of every four children in America is either obese or overweight, an increase of 100 percent over the past 30 years. “The problem is that each child who is overweight has a 70 percent greater chance of becoming an overweight adult,” Cordani said. “And we know that excess weight is linked to serious medical conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
First Lady Michelle Obama helped kick off the competition with a video message encouraging schools to participate. ChildObesity180, an organization led by a group of senior leaders from multiple sectors dedicated to reversing the childhood obesity epidemic, has been an important supporter of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! program.