Changing diabetes by changing lives: programs to reduce disparities in health

First Lady Michelle Obama has taken on the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. And who could be a more perfect candidate to confront a leading contributor to our country's soaring medical costs? Obama is an athletic woman with real curves and a member of a minority group with high rates of chronic conditions like asthma, hypertension, and diabetes. She has two young girls who are exposed, like their peers, to a barrage of messages from the junk food industry. And when she was a working mom, she relied on fast food and pizza to feed her kids, who were growing chubby until a doctor suggested she rethink their meals and exercise routines.