All across the country, obesity rates continue to grow, especially in children.

Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater and is calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three children is obese or overweight, putting them on the road to lifelong chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. In America, it is estimated that more than one fourth of the population is overweight and that the trend is increasing yearly.

With five million Americans suffering from obesity, the disease is taking a toll on our society.

Healthcare dollars

Some estimates say  14 percent of healthcare dollars is spent on treatment of obesity in the United States, and if the problem continues to increase at its current rate, by 2020, one in five health care dollars went on people ages 50-69 could be related to issues with obesity.

UnitedHealth Group is taking the fight to the streets of America, and offering young people a chance to become more educated about the disease, as well as benefit financially from their efforts.

UnitedHealth HEROES is a service-learning, health literacy initiative designed to encourage young people, working with educators and youth leaders, to create and implement local hands-on programs to fight childhood obesity.

Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to programs that demonstrate a clear understanding of the health risks associated with childhood obesity, propose creative solutions to fighting obesity in their schools and communities, and can be easily implemented, scaled and measured.

In addition, each grant also engages participating youth in service-learning, an effective teaching and learning strategy that supports student academic achievement, and helps students develop their workplace readiness skills.

“With the UnitedHealth HEROES program, we are helping young people take action to improve their overall health and quality of life in a way that’s not only educational, but beneficial for their communities,” said David Lewis, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Folrida, Inc.

Lewis says that as people become more aware of health issues through health literacy initiatives, they will make positive changes to live better lives.

“We look forward to seeing the creative ideas young people come up with to help fight obesity and encourage healthier living,” he said.

Partnering with Youth Service America, this will be the third year of the UnitedHealth HEROES campaign.

“Childhood obesity is one of the greatest health issues facing children and youth in the United States,” said YSA president and CEO Steve Culbertson. “UnitedHealth HEROES provides young people with the important responsibility of seeking solutions to this epidemic, and I’m thrilled to see the innovative ideas used to educate and engage their peers.”

More than 360 HEROES grants to schools and community organizations across the country have been awarded to date, and earlier this year, more than 20,000 children and youth logged more than 436,000 volunteer hours serving more than 100,000 people in their communities to help reduce childhood obesity.

Local schools and organizations wanting to get involved in the UnitedHealth HEROES program can obtain an application at www.

YSA.org/HEROES.