Mass. To Unveil Ambitious Anti-Obesity Program

The Patrick administration is out with a broad new plan aimed at preventing obesity in Massachusetts.

WBUR's Sacha Pfeiffer reports.

The health and wellness program will encourage people to eat better and exercise more. Among the ways it will do that are requiring fast food restaurants to supply nutrition information and testing the body mass index of public school students. Health Commissioner John Auerbach says he wants to slim down the nearly sixty percent of Massachusetts adults who are overweight.

AUERBACH: We are hoping to dramatically change the way people think about the foods they eat and the physical activity they need.

The program will also give grants to cities and towns to attract healthy grocery stores to low-income neighborhoods and to make communities more walkable.