South Korea Combats Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity is an issue all over the world, and South Korea is tackling the epidemic head on. The government is sending vouchers to elementary school students whose body mass indexes indicate that they are obese. The electronic vouchers will come in denominations up to 40,000 won (about $33.58) per month and can only be used at health clubs or other places that can aid in weight loss.

According to the Reuters article, costs to the government and the economy that are related to childhood obesity were 2 trillion won in 2006. These figures indicate that the voucher program is a cost-effective option. The voucher program follows another aggressive South Korean initiative from earlier this year, when the sale of soft drinks was banned in schools.