At Housing and Urban Development (HUD) we have a saying, “You can’t be healthy if your house is sick.” And if your home is sick, it may affect your children and their chances of getting and staying in shape.

Today marks the first anniversary of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, an initiative to end the epidemic of childhood obesity. One third of all children born in 2000 or later will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma.

Having a home with lead or other health hazards can impair children’s development and trigger asthma.  For that reason, HUD recently awarded nearly $127 million in grants intended to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards.These grants aren’t just about making our homes safer – they’re about breaking the linkages between unhealthy housing and health.

While the First Lady leads the charge on childhood obesity by helping kids become more physically active and ensuing that every family has healthy, affordable food choices, HUD wants to make sure health hazards in your home don’t go unchecked. Putting children on the path to a healthy future starts with living in a healthy home.

For tips on how to make sure your home is healthy visit HUD.gov. Once you’ve learn how to rid your home of hidden dangers that might make your children sick, check out Letsmove.gov for step-by-step strategies for families, schools and communities to help kids be more active, eat better and grow up healthy.

Don’t let a “sick” home keep your kids from optimum health. Remember you can be healthy and your home doesn’t have to be sick.

Ed. Note: This was cross-posted from The HUDdle, a blog by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.