Should Obese Children Be Put On Display As A Lesson To All Parents?
Today in the Moms Talk column we ask what you think about using these public displays to attempt to stop obesity in children.
Recent TV commercials that have shown obese and overweight children flash statistics that tell parents that children are being diagnosed with hypertension as young as first and second grade.
Georgia is facing a crisis with as much as 40 percent of children being overweight, but how should the epidemic be handled? These children and families are being displayed for everyone to see during prime time television veiwing hours and even show a child asking his mother, "Mom, why am I fat?", which she cannot answer. This has caused a stir in many Georgia homes.
Some feel that these commercials can be damaging to self esteem and cause overweight children to feel worse about their bodies and therefore further not take care of them.
Some feel that we need to stop sugarcoating the problem and stop childhood obesity with facing the facts head on. Showing obese children on tv will serve as a lesson top other parents to keep their kids healthy.
What do you think? Do you think these commercials should be pulled from veiwers? What do you think should be done about childhood obesity?
Do you have a child who is overweight? How do these commercials make you and your children feel?
How do you keep your child from becoming overweight?
Laura
8:04 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I totally agree with the message being sent in these commercials. I have also seen the billboards around town as well. Parents (overweight or not) should be teaching their children healthy habits.
Jeanne Blake
8:50 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
The mother in the ad is unable to respond to her child. This is why Words Can Work gives parents and other caring adults in kids lives the words and skills to talk about key public health issues including obesity. Open, honest communication - is the key to lasting change. You can learn more at Wordscanwork.com.
Jinda Chai
8:51 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
Looks like parents everywhere--not just in Georgia--think their kids' diets are better than they are: http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/mothers-overestimate-dietary-quality/ (great site, excellent videos)
gabby bennett
9:51 am on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I am a pediatric nurse and an often overwhelmed by the number of kids that are classified as obese in recent years. I treat children as young as 9 who already show signs of hypertension, pre-diabetes and even have orthopedic issues due to weight. I am very pleased that we are bringing this problem front and center. Obesity is a complex social, behavioral and emotionial battle but one worth fighting for. Through education, awareness and life-style changes we can make a difference. The anti-smoking campaigns back in the 80's saved lives, so can this!
Lori Salata
12:14 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I think that these PSA's definitely getting the message across that Childhood Obesity is a real problem. I personally feel that anyway to grab a young person's attention by showing them the dangers of being obese is ok with me. Curing obesity should start in the home by educating the entire family on proper eating habits. While I understand with this economy it is expensive to feed a family a nutritious dinner, but picking up McDonald's or ordering a pizza regularly may save you money on food, but in the long run it will cost you with medical bills to cure hypertension, high cholesterol etc.
Lack of exercise is another factor in obesity and children now a days tend to watch entirely to much tv instead of getting out of the house and running around with friends. So what better way to grab our youth's attention while they are watching tv than put a truthful and shocking PSA on. Our daughters play outside everyday weather permitting in order to get them moving around.
Kim
7:27 pm on Thursday, January 5, 2012
I think they should be targeting the PSA's at corporations (Monsanto, Cargill, etc) that are corrupting our food supply and making near impossible to feed our kids a 'healthy' diet. GMO's alter our natural gut bacteria, disabling the body's ability to metabolize normally and cause other organ impairment, especially the liver. Hydrogenated oils are contributing to the hypertension and obesity also. Parents are secondary to the problem if you eat mainstream food but they do need to become vigilant label readers!!
Darliene Howell
5:45 pm on Friday, January 6, 2012
I would like to recommend the free NAAFA Child Advocacy ToolkitSM (CATK) and other written guidelines/resources to assist you looking at programs.
A Yale Rudd Center report reviewed existing research on weight stigma in children and adolescents, with attention to the nature and extent of weight bias toward obese youths and to the primary sources of stigma in their lives, including peers, educators, and parents. As a result of weight bias and discrimination, obese children suffer psychological, social, and health-related consequences.
http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/StigmaObesityChildrensHealth.pdf
Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center further brings to light the stigmatization of large children in the following article.
http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/oacnews7/Childhood%20Obesity%20and%20Stigma.pdf
The NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit shows how Health At Every Size® takes the focus off weight and directs it to healthful eating and enjoyable movement. It addresses the bullying, building positive self-image and eliminating stigmatization of large children. The CATK lists resources available to parents, educators or caregivers for educational materials, curriculum and programming that is beneficial for all children. It can be found at:
http://issuu.com/naafa/docs/naafa_childadvocacy2011combined_v04?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed