According to CDC officials, the four-year project will zero in to reach low-income and minority families on childhood obesity.

Obesity rates among children and adolescents have nearly tripled over the last three decades. Obese children are more likely to have asthma, diabetes, depression and other illnesses.

Subsequently, most of the pharmaceuticals used for cancer patients were developed for adults 30 or even 50 years ago. It was a chief concern of parents, doctors and activists who took part last week at the Second Annual Childhood Cancer Summit and meeting of the Congressional Pediatric Cancer Caucus.

"We are desperate for new treatments,” Dr. Peter Adamson of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia told ABC News. “We have not had a single meaningful improvement in pediatric cancer medication in decades and the children have paid the price. Even though we cure four out of five pediatric cancer patients, even those who survive often go on to have lifelong side effects from the treatment we give them."

Some researchers are concerned that overuse of antibiotics could be attributing to increased rates of obesity, asthma and cancer by killing off beneficial bacteria. The contention is that too many doctors prescribe antibiotics for children before determining whether an illness is viral or bacterial. Antibiotics don’t help if the problem is viral.

The result has been a diminishing of bacteria in the gut that can help the body by making vitamins and strengthening immunity. There’s no question that antibiotics save lives. But like an old adage says, there can be too much of a good thing.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that, if climate change models hold, childhood asthma-related visits to emergency rooms will witness a 7.3 percent spike in the 2020s.

"Our study shows that these assessment models are an effective way of evaluating the long-term impact of global climate change on a local level," said Perry Sheffield, M.D., who led the research team. "This study is a jumping off point to evaluate other outcomes including cost utilization, doctors' visits, missed school days, and a general understanding of the overall burden of climate change on children with asthma."

Published last month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study suggests that heavier kids wind up having to take more medications to control their asthma than peers who aren’t overweight.

Like the epidemic of childhood obesity, asthma rates have skyrocketed in recent decades. Asthma rates for children age 5 or younger increased more than 160 percent between 1980 and 1994. Nearly 4 million children have had an asthma attack in the last year.

“Our history shows that when we are united in our convictions, we can safeguard the health and safety of America's children for generations to come,” reads the presidential proclamation.

We are in the midst of nothing short of an epidemic of childhood obesity. One-third of American children – about 23 million kids -- are now said to be overweight or obese. If the trend continues, researchers say a third of children born in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime, with others at risk of such obesity-related illnesses as heart disease, high blood pressure and asthma.

Let’s commit to making a positive impact on the health and future of our most precious resource and our future: our children.

“It is well known and well documented that patients who are obese are more likely to get asthma in a more severe way,” said Dr. Andrew Colin, director of the pediatric pulmonology division of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “The fat tissue can exacerbate the inflammatory processes going on in the lungs.”

Another possible cause, notes the newspaper, is too much cleanliness. “When you live in an area where you are exposed to bacteria it makes your body more immune,” said Colin. “We now are living in the house where air isn’t circulated and there is a lack of exposure to those elements in nature that would protect us.”

Whatever accounts for the growing numbers, the fact is that more than 7 million kids in the U.S. have asthma. It is the most common chronic disease in children. That’s why we are committed to furthering cutting-edge research into medical treatment.

The study collected data on 801 pregnant women and their exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields from a variety of sources: microwave ovens, power lines, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, etc. Kaiser Permanente researchers then followed up with the women who delivered, checking on the health status of their children by age 13.

What they found was startling. The rate of asthma among kids born to mothers with the highest daily exposure to EMFs was more than three times higher than in those born to women with the lowest exposure.

“Pregnancy is the most sensitive time for the fetus,” said Dr. De-Kun Li, one of the researchers. “Animal studies show that EMF can impact the immune system, and the latest research suggests that cells use magnetic fields to communicate with each other. If an external EMF comes into interfere with that, cell communication needed for normal development can be disrupted.”

Don’t be too alarmed just yet. The threat is small, given that brain cancer is very rare in children. Moreover, the California researchers behind the study still don’t know if it is certain birth defects that might be linked to brain cancer.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

And Lily knocked it out of the park. The crowd responded with a lengthy and heartfelt standing ovation.

The girl is active with the Rally Foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer research.

Click here to see Lily’s stirring performance.

As asthma is the most common chronic childhood disorder in the U.S., the American Lung Association is reminding parents to map out an action plan if their child happens to be one of the 7 million under the age of 18 who has asthma.

Among the actions recommended by the American Lung Association:

Develop an Asthma Action Plan: Write down your child’s asthma symptoms, any medicines necessary before exercise and what to do in case an asthma episode is not relieved through medication.

Visit your child’s school nurse and teachers: Make sure they have a copy of the Asthma Action Plan and know what might trigger your child’s asthma.

Get a flu shot: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people get flu and H1N1 vaccines as early as September, or as soon as they’re available. Influenza can be particularly dangerous for kids with asthma, and yet less than half of all children with asthma receive the vaccine.

For the complete checklist, go to the American Lung Association’s website. It’s good information.

The drugmaker-funded research found that asthma was only properly treated in six in 10 children, according to the study published in the European Respiratory Journal. Using stricter guidelines, the researchers found that only two of 10 kids had their asthma kept in check by medication.

"Physicians cannot just ask the parent 'how is your child doing?'” a doctor told Reuters. “The physician will get a global answer that doesn't reflect the child's quality of life.”

According to research compiled at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, babies who were 10 percent smaller than most babies in the 10th week of fetal development were five times more likely to have asthma or allergies later in life.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

It’s part of a growing campaign nationwide to combat child obesity. LAUSD officials estimate that 30 percent of its students are obese. Ultimately, however, the district acted after relentless lobbying by James Oliver, a British TV chef and anti-obesity advocate.

Not everyone has embraced the ban. Opponents point to a 2008 study indicating that children who drink regular or flavored milk had similar body-mass-index (BMI) measures compared to kids who didn’t drink milk. The presumption, of course, is that young people who don’t like regular milk just won’t drink the stuff altogether if it’s not sweetened by the chocolate fairy.

What are your thoughts?

About 17 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese, triple the rate of the previous generation. Videogames, television and a seemingly never-ending procession of high-tech conveniences are making our lives easier in many ways, but they might be shortening our lifespan at the same time. Another major culprit: Sugary drinks.

Don’t let inaction be complicity. Together, we can make a real and meaningful difference in the lives of our most valuable resource: our children.

German researchers have concluded that a gluten-free diet in the first 12 months of life doesn’t help prevent diabetes for genetically at-risk babies. The study backpedals from an earlier study by the same researchers, who previously had indicated gluten actually increased the likelihood of type 1 diabetes in such cases.

Gluten is the protein in bread, pasta and other food containing wheat. Research continues on other potential food triggers for childhood diabetes.

A disturbing mystery in Ohio looks like it might remain a question mark: Why an area of eastern Sandusky County in the northern part of the state has seen so many cases of childhood cancer since 1996. Ohio Health Department officials announced recently that they might soon be ending an investigation into the matter.

Five of 35 cancer-stricken children in the 12-mile wide circle have died, the most recent being a 13-year-old boy earlier this month. Parents and health officials have searched for answers for more than a decade.

Investigators of the child-cancer cluster are expected to issue reports soon, but have long acknowledged they find no commonalities to explain the outbreak. The kids impacted lived in different areas, attended different schools and got their drinking water from different sources.

“We were brutally honest with people from the beginning. We told them we may never find the cause,” said Robert Indian, who heads the Ohio health department’s cancer-control program. “The track record across the country is you rarely find the cause of something like this. It gets horribly complex.”

Asthma cases have risen at an alarming rate since 2001, but exact reasons for the spike remain unknown. Many believe a jump in environmental pollution has been a chief factor.

Regardless of what has prompted the increase, asthma can be deadly. It takes the lives of 11 Americans each day, resulting in more than 4,000 asthma-related deaths annually. But its non-lethal implications are also serious. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism. More than 40 percent of all asthma-related hospitalizations involve children, making it the third-leading cause of hospitalization for kids aged 15 and younger.

You can make a difference. During this month in which we remind ourselves of the toll of asthma, please consider donating to medical research in the treatment of childhood asthma.

That was a long time ago. The 56-year-old woman was honored recently by Boston’s Joslin Diabetes Center for her more than 50 years living with diabetes. “Sometimes you do get a medal just for showing up,” Quirk joked.

A few years ago, Quirk began wearing a wireless, waterproof insulin pump. After decades of insulin injections, she says the device has given her a newfound sense of freedom. "You can wear it underwater. I've gone whitewater rafting,” she told the newspaper. “I can wear it in the shower. It's really made a big difference.

"Even though there's still not a cure for diabetes … All my life, there's just has always seemed to be something new that has helped me along."

Quirk’s story is more evidence of the importance of every single advance in diabetes research. Working together, we can make a difference in the lives of children with diabetes.

According to the CDC, medical care for a child with diabetes costs about $9,000 yearly. That compares to less than $1,500 for the average annual medical costs for kids without the disease.

The bulk of costs involved insulin, which is typically administered to patients with type 1 diabetes. Insulin is used in the treatment of more than 90 percent of kids with diabetes, as opposed to 26 percent for adults with diabetes. Costs for young people with diabetes who didn’t receive insulin was decidedly less: $5,683 annually.

There are treatments for roughly 200 of the roughly 7,000 rare diseases, which are defined as illness that affect less than 200,000 people. “Yet add those diseases together,” reports AP, “and more than 20 million Americans have one.”

From grass-roots efforts to the recently introduced Creating Hope Act in our nation’s Capitol, there is a concerted – and perhaps long-overdue – push to spur research for rare disease.

Our most vulnerable and precious resource deserves better. Please join us in doing what we can to ensure a bright future for our children.

Hundreds of Oklahomans will join people around the globe for World Diabetes Day on Sunday, Nov. 14 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Senate Concurrent Resolution 34, authored by Sen. Constance N. Johnson and Rep. Randy McDaniel, passed during the 2010 legislative session and designates November 14 as World Diabetes Day in Oklahoma. This is the second year Oklahoma has participated in the event.

“We know that the root causes of the most common kind of diabetes are many, including poverty, economic barriers to healthy foods such as marketing snares hindering healthy food choices, poor nutritional habits, lack of physical activity, obesity, and genetic predispositions reinforced by years of the same behaviors,” said Sen. Johnson, a Democrat from east Oklahoma City. “On November 14 and beyond we will explore ways to assist those living with or at-risk of developing diabetes to manage it and/or prevent onset.”

More than 20 local and national organizations will be on hand to offer free information and education about diabetes prevention, management, and advocacy. A variety of breakout sessions will be presented on eating, foot care, and vision care as well as topics related to diabetes education and prevention. Certified Diabetes Educators will be available during the event to answer questions from attendees. Screenings will also be provided for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition that affects many with diabetes.

“Diabetes is a growing crisis especially in Oklahoma where one in ten citizens suffers from the disease. One of our greatest responsibilities as public officials is to help protect and improve the health of our citizens, and that’s why this event is so important,” said Rep. McDaniel, an Edmond Republican. “I hope citizens will take advantage of all the resources that will be available at this event. By educating ourselves, we can help stop this disease.”

In 2009, Oklahomans spent $1.86 billion in diabetes related care. Diabetes is the leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, amputations, blindness, kidney failure, and fetal mortality.

During the event, various individuals with diabetes will be sharing their personal stories. Guests can get free glucose monitors along with training, blood pressure and glucose screenings, and referrals. Participants are asked to enter through the west door of the State Capitol Building and proceed to the fourth floor rotunda. Vendor opportunities are still available.

In 2008, over 1,000 prominent monuments were lit in blue in recognition of World Diabetes Day. In order to raise awareness about the importance of diabetes prevention and management, the Oklahoma State Capitol dome will be lit blue on the day of the event.

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital is grateful for the financial assistance of DJH Foundation, who has funded the acquisition of a high-resolution digital camera for our electron microscope and the upgrade of a Nikkon inverted microscope in our Cell and Tissue Imaging Center.

Genetic and molecular biology have advanced cancer research, but electron microscopy is important to scientists to look inside a cell or follow pathways to understand the entire course of biological events leading to a specific outcome. The generous gift of the DJH Foundation helped support expansion of the Electron Microscopy facility in 2009, which greatly improved our ability to meet scientists’ needs. Last year, the facility took 11,000 images, which were used in 13 different publications, with the new 11 megapixel AMT digital camera. The Electron Microcopy facility at St. Jude served 15 departments and began just under 200 projects in 2009, including the production of 869 samples and over 5,000 blocks.

A shared resource available to all St. Jude researchers, the facility is a vivid example of our “bench-to-bedside” strategy, encouraging teamwork across many disciplines to overcome catastrophic childhood diseases. St. Jude deeply appreciates the support of DJH Foundation for this invaluable shared resource.