Former President Bill Clinton, a chubby child who grew up to face heart trouble, unveiled a 10-year campaign against the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States.

"The truth is that children are consuming more sugar and fatty foods than ever before. We want to reverse the growth in childhood obesity," Clinton told children and their teachers in a school gym in Harlem.

Robert Eckel, president-elect of the American Heart Association, which is supporting the initiative with the William J. Clinton Foundation, recited the alarming statistics on juvenile obesity.

"The rate has doubled in children and tripled in teens in the last 25 years," Eckel said. Estimates are that 16 percent of U.S. children are obese and up to a third are overweight or obese.Overweight children have a 70 percent chance of being overweight adults, Eckel added.

Warning that today's youth could be the first U.S. generation to die younger than their parents, Clinton said he would work with the American Heart Association to promote healthy eating habits in children and encourage them to exercise.

"We've got to change the eating habits of America's young people," said Clinton, who had quadruple heart-bypass surgery last year and another operation in March.

"After my personal exposure to heart disease and surgery, I wanted to find some way to use that experience to help others. With this initiative, we can help turn young people's lives around and give them hope for a healthier future," Clinton said.

Details on the program will follow in coming months.

Other sources: Medical Week staff