Mayor Joseph Curtatone speaks to an audience at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 9, during the launch of the Let's Move campaign, a nutrition program aimed at lowering childhood obesity. By Tom Nash At a White House press conference held by First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday, Mayor Joseph Curtatone used the city's Shape Up Somerville program as an example of how a new national children's health program can help children fight obesity. Obama invited Curtatone, Hernando, Mississippi Mayor Chip Johnson and other health experts to help launch a new program, dubbed Let's Move, which aims to revitalize efforts at keeping children healthy.

Somerville has received national attention for its Shape Up Somerville initiative, which aims to help children make healthy lifestyle choices. When the program was started in 2002 with the help of Tufts University, Curtatone said 40 percent of Somerville students were obese.

"Our guiding principles have been: eat smart; play hard; live well," Curtatone said. "Every policy decision is influenced by these tenets."

Curtatone told the audience the program has included healthier menu options in school cafeterias in addition to encouraging restaurants to adopt "Shape Up" menu options.

"I want to thank the first lady for her leadership, vision and commitment to children and families," Curtatone concluded. "We stand with you, Mrs. Obama. Together we can raise the social consciousness of an entire country to overcome this epidemic and eliminate childhood obesity. Together we can make our cities and towns and our entire nation healthier, happier and more productive."

In her remarks, Obama stressed the need for more information about healthy eating to be made available to parents.

"Many parents desperately want to do the right thing, but they feel the deck is stacked against them," she said. "Let's move to offer parents the tools and information they've been asking for to give their kids healthy choices."

The press conference came after President Obama signed a presidential memorandum creating the Task Force on Childhood Obesity, which will study national policies and create a "national action plan," according to a White House statement.

More information about Let's Move is available at www.letsmove.gov.