$500 MILLION PLEDGED TO FIGHT CHILDHOOD OBESITY
Robert Wood Johnson, who built Johnson & Johnson into one of the
world's largest health and medical care products companies,
established his foundation at his death in 1968 with 10,204,377
shares of the company's stock. He committed it to improving the
health of Americans.
The foundation played a major role in curbing tobacco use in
this country, spending $446 million from 1991 to 2003 toward
that goal, and it plans to use those experiences to shape its
attack on childhood fat.
Since 1995, the number of adult and teenage smokers has declined
12.6 percent and 18 percent, respectively.
It was a very carefully thought-out strategic initiative, said
Joel L. Fleishman, a professor of law and public policy at Duke
University. The foundation underwrote research, prevention and
smoking-cessation programs, and increased awareness of smoking's
dangers.
