Sep. 18--Two of presidential hopeful Barack Obama's most ardent supporters -- his wife, Michelle, and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine -- were in Charlottesville on Wednesday, but for different reasons.
In what was the first day of a three-day conference on health sciences, Kaine spoke at the University of Virginia Medical Center about obesity in the United States, particularly in Virginia.
Kaine's audience was a worldwide network of representatives from research-intensive universities known collectively as Universitas 21.
UVa is the only university in the United States that is a member of U21.
Kaine said that while Virginia has bellied up to the table -- and seen positive results -- in its fight to curb tobacco use, the state has lagged when it comes to shrinking its waistline.
In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 24.3 percent of adult Virginians were considered obese, a term generally measured by calculating a person's height and weight.
Obesity has been linked to types of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
"Virginia, very uncharacteristically, is not at the head of the class," Kaine said of a state that polls indicate leads the nation in education and being business-friendly.
Kaine said while the United States and Virginia have done well at treating illnesses, both could do better at promoting healthy lifestyles.
"I think it's safe to say that it's a feature of life that we're getting more sedentary ... and that goes across many cultures," he told the U21 group, which represents universities in 13 countries and Hong Kong.
Kaine said Virginia's initiatives to encourage healthy lifestyles in recent years have included working with schools to revamp cafeteria menus and encouraging the state's 100,000 employees to exercise more.
Later in the day, Michelle Obama arrived with Jill Biden -- wife of Barack Obama's running mate, Sen. Joe Biden -- in Charlottesville to host a voter-registration rally at UVa. To see more of The Daily Progress or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailyprogress.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2008 The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va.