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Childrens Health

Changes to Howard's school wellness policy largely applauded

When the revised health and wellness policy for Howard County schools was up for discussion last spring, it was roundly criticized for not going far enough in encouraging students' health.

A year later and after a delayed vote, phased implementation and several additional changes, that policy was largely applauded by the public Thursday, March 13 at the Board of Education.

New Group Combats Childhood Obesity By Taking On Drinks

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Childhood obesity is a huge problem in Maryland. Now health advocates are teaming up with state lawmakers to push for change. The new coalition was announced in Annapolis Wednesday.

Linh Bui has more on their efforts.

Several organizations are part of this coalition, including the American Heart Association and the NAACP, and it’s tackling two critical public health problems.

A new kind of cola war

Happiness doesn't come in a red can. Obesity does.

That's the tag line from a commercial that will begin airing soon in the Baltimore area, and it's a not-so-subtle attack on Coca-Cola mounted by a group of local health advocates including Howard County's Horizon Foundation, the Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi), the American Heart Association and People Acting Together in Howard (PATH).

Critics demand a better health and wellness policy for Howard

As a Columbia pediatrician, Henri Merrick regularly sees young patients who are significantly overweight. It's a trend she started noticing several years ago, and the weights of school-aged children began to cause her great concern.

So three years ago, she started a diet program at her practice. If a child had a body mass index in the 84th percentile, she put them on a diet: no sugar, lots of water and healthier food