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Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) has challenged his counterparts in other states to participate in a walking program designed to increase awareness of the nation's obesity epidemic, the Associated Press reports. Slated to begin January 1, 2009, the two-week Capitol Steps Challenge tasks participating governors with recruiting a team of 10 to 20 cabinet-level staff to compete head-to-head by tracking their daily activity, with the goal of achieving the highest average distance per member. Program sponsor Virgin HealthMiles, an employee health program developer, will provide participants with pedometers and an online tool for recording each team's walking distance during the challenge. After two weeks, the team with the highest per-person average will be declared the Most Active Governor's Team and will receive a $50,000 donation from Virgin toward their state's childhood obesity-prevention program. To date, Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin have signed on to participate in the challenge. For the second phase of the program, teams of 250 individuals from state government offices will participate in a one-year challenge to boost their physical activity, with the winning team receiving up to $125,000 for their state childhood obesity program. Noting that rapidly increasing U.S. obesity rates provided the impetus for the program, Perry added that "as governors, we must set the example for our states and highlight ways we can address preventable health problems" (AP/KTUU, 12/10/08; Office of Governor Rick Perry release, 12/10/08; Virgin HealthMiles release, 12/10/08).