Georgia healthcare runs anti-obesity ads - targets kids

[masraum]

I'm fairly thin and always have been. I got picked on a bit when I was younger, but never as bad as you hear about or see in movies so I understand being on the crappy end of bullying.

I HATE to see fat kids whether they are 3, 13 or 19, but especially the younger ones. We've got lots of heavy people here in Houston, so I see it daily.

BBC News - Atlanta anti-obesity ads 'risk child stigma'
BBC News - Georgia obesity campaign sparks fierce online reaction

The Strong4Life campaign, run by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, has posted billboards in the Atlanta area since August featuring unflattering black and white photos of unhappy fat children.

The posters are accompanied by a warning banner and messages such as: "Chubby isn't cute if it leads to type two diabetes"; and "Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid".

A Georgia hospital designed a campaign to tell hard truths about childhood obesity. Is it tough love or too harsh?

For Dr Mark Wulkan, surgeon-in-chief for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, overweight children are a problem.

"Georgia is second in the nation on childhood obesity, and that's a top 10 list we want to get out of as fast as we can," he says.

As the largest paediatric healthcare provider in the state, he says: "We saw the problem as something that we should take some responsibility for, and something that we had to fix.

"We're seeing very young children in our clinic that had high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease. The long-term health impact for our state, looking at the numbers, is tremendous."

The time for "warm and fuzzies", he says, was over. So instead, his hospital created an aggressive campaign, based in part off a previously successful anti-methamphetamine campaign.

This time the target wasn't drugs, but obesity.

So, there are a bunch of folks that are saying that these ads will lead to increased stigma and bullying and psychological health issues. (which seems like a reasonable assumption)

I'm just not sure how I feel about it. Like I said, I hate to see fat kids (feel bad for them and angry at the parents). So, what do you guys think? I'm OK with folks thinking this campaign is a bad idea, but if they are going to complain, I'd like to hear their option.

[Noah930]

Seems like the alternative is to pull the ads and continue along on our merry way, eating chips/candy/soda until our society truly resembles that in Wall-E.

Perhaps these ads will lead to increased bullying, poor self-esteem, or promote anorexia/bulemia. But the current way of doing things doesn't seem too successful, either. I'm all for trying it, but it has to be presented in a way that emphasizes that it's not slight chubbiness that we're so against, but rather morbid obesity.

[fred cook]

According to the Body Mass Index chart, I am at the top end of "overweight". I am 6'-1" tall and weigh 223 lbs. In order for me to get back into the "normal" catagory I would have to weigh 180 lbs or less! I work out, teach Martial Arts (Taekwondo) and have trouble "pinching an inch" at the waist. Don't know who decides what is normal, but I suspect they have their heads up their ass!

[Head416]

Originally Posted by fred cook

According to the Body Mass Index chart, I am at the top end of "overweight". I am 6'-1" tall and weigh 223 lbs.

I'm the same height, about 235 lbs. so guess where I am on that chart?

I work out, teach Martial Arts (Taekwondo) and have trouble "pinching an inch" at the waist.

Let's just say I don't have that problem.

Don't know who decides what is normal, but I suspect they have their heads up their ass!

Agreed! Despite the fact that I'm getting fat, it's ridiculous to think I need to be 180 lbs to be normal. I was 180 at this height fifteen years ago and I was a stick!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Seems like the alternative is to pull the ads and continue along on our merry way, eating chips/candy/soda until our society truly resembles that in Wall-E.

Perhaps these ads will lead to increased bullying, poor self-esteem, or promote anorexia/bulemia. But the current way of doing things doesn't seem too successful, either. I'm all for trying it, but it has to be presented in a way that emphasizes that it's not slight chubbiness that we're so against, but rather morbid obesity.

That was my thought.

Originally Posted by fred cook

According to the Body Mass Index chart, I am at the top end of "overweight". I am 6'-1" tall and weigh 223 lbs. In order for me to get back into the "normal" catagory I would have to weigh 180 lbs or less! I work out, teach Martial Arts (Taekwondo) and have trouble "pinching an inch" at the waist. Don't know who decides what is normal, but I suspect they have their heads up their ass!

Yeah, but just using height and weight isn't enough. You could match the height and weight and look like either of these guys.





One is obviously carrying a few extra pounds.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by fred cook

According to the Body Mass Index chart, I am at the top end of "overweight". I am 6'-1" tall and weigh 223 lbs. In order for me to get back into the "normal" catagory I would have to weigh 180 lbs or less! I work out, teach Martial Arts (Taekwondo) and have trouble "pinching an inch" at the waist. Don't know who decides what is normal, but I suspect they have their heads up their ass!

Me too. I'm 6'1 and 5 years ago when I weighed 210 I thought I looked like hell. At 220 I look good, feel good, but I'm "overweight." I weighed 190 from high school into my 50s. I can't remember when I was 180, and at 62, being that thin seems unhealthy.

[masraum]

So, it sounds like a bunch of us have some of those psychological health issues that the other group is afraid off. Seems like we may be a little sensitive here....

Still, I don't think you can say that you see a lot of kids that are way to heavy.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by masraum

So, it sounds like a bunch of us have some of those psychological health issues that the other group is afraid off. Seems like we may be a little sensitive here....

Still, I don't think you can say that you see a lot of kids that are way to heavy.

Here in southern Ohio I do. There are grade school kids who outweigh me. I've been here for 62 years and I've earned the right to be 30 (?) pounds overweight. But the number of 16 year old girls who top 220 is crazy.

[ben parrish]

My kids are young; 4 and 8. At soccer, cheerleading, ball games, etc. I'm always amazed at the number of fat kids. I don't mean chubby, I mean FAT.
And guess what? They're the ones eating candy and drinking sodas....It truly is an big issue...poor eating habits and little activity.

[masraum]

Yep. I feel sorry for the kids and angry at the parents.
Wall-e and Idiocracy both seem like they could come true too soon.

[Tervuren]

"I've been blogging about this every day since January 5th, and I'm exhausted," Russell said. "But I won't stop until the billboards come down."

If a blog a day exausts you - you in trouble.

[Tobra]

I have seen kids as young as 12 with adult onset diabetes.

Never saw a fat kid at the grocery store that did not have fat parent with them

[jyl]

I suppose it makes morbidly obese kids feel bad to be told they are morbidly obese, but the alternative is to tell them they are healthy.

[Dottore]

I think these billboards are long overdue. People need to wake up. There are way too many fat people in America. Seeing this in children is truly tragic because they are largely not to blame.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by jyl

I suppose it makes morbidly obese kids feel bad to be told they are morbidly obese, but the alternative is to tell them they are healthy.

Right, 3 options, "You're fat", "you're fine" or nothing at all (which comes across as #2). How's the saying go, you've got to break some eggs to make an omelet.

Hmm, psychologically scared, or potentially dead and/or ill for the rest of their lives because they are fat. I think I'm willing to risk the psychological issues if it would get them to be healthy.

[URY914]

I heard today that 1/2 the dogs in the US are over weight. Go figure.

[masraum]

We watch our dogs' weights very closely. Our dachshund would eat until he was round if we let him.

[fintstone]

Most of my adult life I was just under 180lbs...relatively muscular and athletic...but still a little heavy. As I aged I lost some of the muscle and gained some fat at the midsection. I used to joke that I looked better without a shirt...but it was mosty because my biceps and shoulder muscles distracted one away from my thick waist. I also used to laugh at the possibility that I could lose much weight or waist (especially since the body mass index charts seemed insanely low)...cause mine was all muscle, LOL...but when I got up to around 189 in my early 50s, I decided to actively work on losing with both diet and exercise. I lost down to around 172 in a few months and it was great. My clothes looked better and I looked much younger (did lose a little muscle too though). I don't breathe hard after running up several flights of stairs. My joint problems improved as did my back problems. I am told that I look many years younger than my contemporaries (helps to still have all my hair and little gray...and good teeth). My wife loved my new look and my sex life (ability and stamina) increased dramatically. Just about every woman I came in contact with started complimenting how I looked and flirting with me which is nice (sure they mean nothing by it). Although happily married for many years, I am the hot, "dangerous" guy at work and am taken much more seriously...although most of the guys in my office are much younger (but obese and sedentary). In fact, I heard my much younger female boss explaining to one of her female bosses that she really didn't hire me for how I looked because it was via a phone interview. Although I am up a couple of pounds to about 175...my life has improved dramatically in almost every way (although I am still considered borderline obese by the body mass index charts). If you are only slightly obese, 10 to 15 lbs makes a huge difference...imagine what carrying around and extra 30-50lbs or more is like. I plan to try to drop about 5 to 10 more pounds this spring.

Bottom line, it was a life-changer for me and certainly would be for these kids. A little tough love is what they need, good exercise and diet, not another twinkie and computer game.

[Seahawk]

There was one really fat kid in my middle school, one. This was California in the early 70's. No one, in my memory, was chunky unless they lifted.

And we all know the reasons why. We were always outside, on the move, riding a bike, playing.

This is a parental issue.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

There was one really fat kid in my middle school, one. This was California in the early 70's. No one, in my memory, was chunky unless they lifted.

And we all know the reasons why. We were always outside, on the move, riding a bike, playing.

This is a parental issue.

Same here. I only knew one or two obese kids...and they would be called "normal" today. We always monitored exactly what and how much our kids ate growing up...and they have stayed fit and slim into adulthood.

Definitely a parental/societal issue.