The stated mission of Childrens Healthcare Atlanta is to enhance the livobesityproblem america Rockdale Citizenes of children through excellence in patient care, research and education. We have a vision to transform pediatric healthcare and be the leading voice for the health of Georgias children. I can testify from personal experience that they do a jam-up job of living up to that mission. My own daughter, Jenna, spent a very long week at Egleston one spring and received excellent care. I know other parents whose children have been cared for at Scottish Rite and Hughes Spalding and have been equally impressed. Just like their mission statement says, Childrens is dedicated to educating the public and if you dont think the public needs to be educated about childhood obesity, you havent been paying attention.
The most in-your-ce billboard declares, Big bones didnt make me this way. Big meals did. Now that is about as cut and dried and to the point as you can get.
:Some kids are t. I hope I didnt shock you with that insensitive revelation. I dont mean that some kids are cuddly or chubby or pleasingly plump. Some children more and more each year in ct are morbidly obese. Those children grow into morbidly obese adults, which is a dangerous thing and the key to the term morbidly obese is morbid.
I am pretty sure that they are also endorsing free sand at local zoos to make it easier for ostriches to hide their heads.
Heaven forbid someones self-esteem be lowered.
One of the biggest critics of Stop Childhood Obesity is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. I aint this up, yall. We have a national association dedicated to accepting t folks. They are, not surprisingly, calling for the removal of all the billboards.
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.
What Stop Childhood Obesity has done is put up billboards along Georgias highways and byways with pictures of t children. That, in and of itself, is a change because on most billboards we only see beautiful, slim models with Barbie doll figures. Either that or cows begging people to eat Truett Cathys chicken. When you see something different on a billboard it tends to get your attention -- and thats the whole idea.
obesityproblem america Rockdale Citizen,Words used in Websters definition of morbid include abnormal, unhealthy, unpleasant, plus a couple of others -- namely death and disease.
Obese children are like the elephant in the room. Nobody wants to talk about it because feelings will be hurt and nobody wants to hurt anyones feelings. Besides, nobody wants anybody else telling them how to raise their kids -- and so people say things like, She is big-boned and, He hasnt outgrown his baby t. Parents continue to indulge their kids by feeding them as much junk food as they can stuff in their ce and allow them to lounge around the house and never make them get any exercise and they get offended if anyone notices and they talk about slow metabolisms and thyroid problems and continue to supersize at McDonalds.
Darrell Huckaby is a local educator and author. Email him at [email protected]. For past columns, visit or
Will the billboards work? Who knows? What I do know is that they are stirring up a world of controversy from people who fear that the ad campaign may be doing more harm than good. The critics of the campaign say the pictures on the billboards stigmatize t kids even more and potentially expose them to bullying and might lower t childrens self-esteem.
Look-a-here, yall. Verily! The childhood obesity problem is going to be a problem for all of us. Even Michelle Obama says so. As we, the people, become more and more on the hook for everyones health problems -- and accompanying medical bills -- we had better do all we can to promote better health for all. I say keep the billboards up and keep running the ads -- and if the clothing fits -- well, wear it. And if it doesnt fit -- cook your child some fresh veggies and help them lose a little weight.
The billboards have rather blunt statements emblazoned over the pictures of the chunky kids. One, for example, reads, Warning: Childhood obesity has increased 300 percent over the past 30 years. That is innocuous, enough. Plus it is true, but I ask you -- who would pay any attention to such a statement if it were accompanied by an equally innocuous graphic instead of a shocking picture?
Another says Chubby kids may not outlive their parents. This one might be a little off-point because I believe that most chubby kids have parents who probably share their eating habits and may be in danger themselves.
Well, one group has decided to address the elephant in the room, and they are catching a lot of flak for it. Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta, in conjunction with other sponsors, is running a campaign aimed at parents of obese children wake up and smell the Twinkies -- long enough to take them out of their childrens diets.
Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center further brings to light the stigmatization of large children in the following article.
And I would like to recommend that adults check their BMIs and look at their - and their childrens-- eating and exercise habits. Many children with weight problems have parents with weight problems, and eating st food or spending hours in front of tv/video games/internet is not going to help that. Unlike the previous poster, I believe the focus should be on weight, because without recognizing there is a problem, you cannot take steps to solve the problem. Ive no doubobesityproblem americat that children and adults suffer stigmatization, but you will never eliminate that, nor can you continue to demand the supersizing of seating, beds, ambulances, and serving sizes. Life is filled with painful moments - we cannot avoid them. We have to ce them. Obesity is not healthy or beautiful; it is crippling, both the individual who suffers it, and to the nation, which needs active, healthy and productive individuals. And any one season of the Biggest Loser demonstrates that t is not permanent, and that individuals who accept that t is unacceptable are able to change their diets, their activity levels and their lives. Fat is not rad; it is a condition which goal-setting and hard work can and should change, for the better.
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:
I would like to recommend the free NAAFA Child Advocacy ToolkitSM (CATK) and other written guidelines/resources to assist you looking at programs.
