The way state representative Gary Biggs sees it, things in Arkansas had pretty much reached critical mass. Not only were 60% of adults in the state overweight or obese, but their kids were catching up fast: a quarter of Arkansas' high school students are overweight or "at risk." The state health director estimates that Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as the adult-onset variety, is up 800% in kids over the past decade. Even the state's preschoolers have grown shockingly plump: almost 10% are overweight. Says Biggs: "I have been on the house public-health committee for three terms, and I got tired...
To continue reading: or Log-In