We finalized the majority of this issue during one of the most tragic and intense weeks I can remember. On Monday, April 15, Patriot’s Day in the U.S., two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people, including an 8-year-old boy, injuring nearly 200 and terrorizing thousands.

About 100 hours after the bombing, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was murdered and law enforcement subsequently embarked on a dramatic manhunt that eventually killed one suspect and apprehended another.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, April 17 a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas, killing at least 14 people, injuring another 200 and leveling a very wide area of a very small town. And then on Saturday, April 20 a massive earthquake in China’s Sichuan province reportedly killed approximately 200 people and injured more than 11,000.

The road to recovery for all those affected by these events will not be short or simple. Our thoughts are with all those currently coping with the aftermath. 

There’s only so much in life that we can control. We can install certain precautions to deter terrorist plots, we can regulate how potentially dangerous chemicals are stored and we can design cities and buildings to reduce the impact of natural disasters. Overall, we do our best, I think, to make informed, intelligent decisions.

When I held my 5-month-old niece recently, shortly after all these horrific events occurred, I wondered about her future. What will she be tasked with controlling when she’s old enough to handle more than sleeping, eating and playing? What decisions can we make today to give her the greatest control over her world tomorrow?

In this issue’s cover story we discuss the state of children’s health. The bottom line, unfortunately, is that kids in general still aren’t very healthy. And while efforts are underway to stem the tide of global childhood obesity, more needs to be done.

According to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, “We must continue to take action to ensure that today’s young people grow up healthy and strong, or we will see more challenges—everything from soaring healthcare costs to diminished national security and decreased business competitiveness. Improving the nutrition of our young people has tremendous implications for our country’s future.”

Time to take a deep breath and go to work …