Cam Newton teams with Carolinas HealthCare to fight childhood obesity

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has teamed with Carolinas HealthCare System and other Charlotte partners in a public awareness campaign aimed at fighting childhood obesity.

At the campaign kickoff Tuesday at Revolution Park, Newton was a surprise guest speaker, along with Dr. Robert Alexander, a pediatrician with Carolinas HealthCare; Ann Clark, superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; and Dr. Marcus Plescia, Mecklenburg County Health Department director.

Carolinas HealthCare is encouraging 10,000 local families to take part by pledging to be healthy together this year.

The campaign urges families to join the “5-2-1-0 League” and pledge to follow healthy habits every day, aiming for five servings of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour or more of physical activity, and zero sugar-laced beverages. For information: http://www.carolinashealthcare.org/HealthyTogether.

This story was originally published June 23, 2015 at 12:19 PM with the headline "Cam Newton teams with Carolinas HealthCare to fight childhood obesity."