Groups join forces in Charleston to combat childhood obesity - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Church, state and federal groups are banding together with community partners in the latest effort to tackle child obesity in West Virginia.

The Appalachian Regional Commission on Tuesday announced a partnership with Save the Children's Campaign for Healthy Kids.

The plan is to bring First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative to Appalachia through the partnership.

The group will work in their communities with educators to improve children's nutrition and increase their physical activity. The efforts will include partnerships with churches of multiple denominations, the state Department of Education and the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health.

"It's not just one family or even one economic group, so it's actually trying to change society as a whole, which is no easy task," said Janey Thornton, with the United States Food and Drug Administration.

Officials say the groups plan to implement community-based wellness policies and increase the number of nutritious meals available to at-risk youth during the summer. They also will enlist church-run childcare programs for healthy feeding programs.