Excerpts of recent editorials of statewide and national interest from Ohio newspapers:

The Akron Beacon Journal, Feb. 14

Pediatric researchers have been sounding an alarm for quite a while: Childhood obesity is reaching critical levels, and the nation ignores the problem at its peril.

One-third of children are overweight or obese. One of every 10 among 2- to 5-year-olds is obese. Type 2 diabetes, which used to be described as "adult onset," is seen so often in children these days that the description has been dropped.

Public health officials worry that childhood obesity -- and related health problems, including diabetes, hypertension and heart disease -- is putting children on track to be the first generation of Americans to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

On Tuesday, Michelle Obama launched a national campaign, Let's Move, making it her signature challenge to reverse the trend.

We don't expect first ladies to solve intractable societal problems, whether it is drug abuse, illiteracy or obesity. What they bring to an issue is the force of their personalities, the visibility to raise and sustain public awareness and the influence to build powerful coalitions around the issue. Reversing childhood obesity promises to test Michelle Obama's capacity to motivate and mobilize partners whose interests don't necessarily coincide. ...

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, Feb. 14

President Barack Obama has finally done something he should have done a year ago: invited congressional Republicans to discuss health care reform.

Set for Feb. 25 at Blair House -- the president's guest house across from the White House -- the meeting is supposed to last half a day and be televised, just as Obama's recent give-and-take at a House GOP retreat was. ...

So what would bipartisan health care reform look like? It would start with a realization that no one will get everything he or she wants, but that open-minded lawmakers can agree on things that would make the health insurance market fairer and more competitive, while laying the groundwork for additional incremental change.

That means insurance reforms that have the broadest support, including coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, extensions on how long adult children can remain on their parents' policies and far greater portability. Insurance companies should be able to sell across state lines, allowing individuals, firms and associations to shop for the best coverage. ...