This is part 2 of the 2 part article discussing childhood obesity. In this part I will discuss how children are the victims of marketing and how parents can become their children's role model.
The next time you find your son or daughter parked in front of the TV watching the same cartoon you've heard a thousand times but have never seen, stop and watch. Sit down with your kid and pay close attention to the commercials. They are designed to instruct your child to bug you for the newest toy or snack. There is actually a snack that you can temporarily tattoo your tongue with!
The marketing of processed fatty fast food is hard to resist. With the huge portion sizes and the toys and cartoon character that are in a kids face 8 hours a day on 10 different cartoon channels. Who can expect a child to resist. And the convenience, that is what sells the parents. After being at work for the last 8-10 hours, the last thing Mom or Dad want to do is cook dinner. So on the way home we pick up some burgers and fries for dinner. The kids, again, have no choice. The parents are the direct line to the fatty, sugary, salty mess that is fast food.
As much as I would like to blame "Big Business" for our children's weight problem, the truth is parents are to blame. We have the power to say NO to bad food and YES to walking and jumping and playing. I realize there may be some genetic issues which may lead to obesity like slow metabolism or a thyroid problem but for the most part diet and lack of exercise is to blame I have read a lot of articles on childhood obesity and few of them spent more than a sentence talking about genetics. Mostly it's the example set forth by the parents that causes childhood obesity. If parents are not home when the child comes home from school, children tend to over consume fatty, sweet and salty snacks. If the parents do not exercise than the child probably won't exercise either.
Parental influence, I believe, is the top reason children become fat or obese. The influence a parent has on a child can not be understated. Even from birth the choices made by parents may influence if a child becomes fat or not. Some studies have shown that breast feeding is better for a child than bottle feeding. The thought being that a breast fed baby stops eating when they are satisfied whereas a bottle fed baby is encouraged to drink the whole bottle. Other studies have indicated that breast fed babies are introduced to multiple flavors influenced by the mother's diet. Bottle fed babies are exposed only to the flavor of the formula. Also the availability of fruits and vegetables early in their life predisposes them to acceptance of fruits and vegetables as school children.
Children do not shop, parents do. The parents decide what types of food will be in the house and available for the child to eat. If the child is home unsupervised, what choice does the child have but to snack on chips and cookies found in the pantry.
There are new programs and ad campaigns directed at the childhood obesity epidemic. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, has begun the "Let's Move" campaign aimed at helping kids make healthy choices. Due to all the reasons specified in this article, The First Lady recommends giving parents the knowledge to make healthy food choices for their family, provide healthy foods in schools and helping kids become more active. But like all programs aimed at helping, there is a group which does not approve of The First Lady's "Let's Move" campaign. Those against Mrs. Obama's campaign is the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). This group believes the "Let's Move" campaign singles out fat and obese kids as unhealthy and will bring undo ridicule on them. Therefore the "Let's Move" campaign should educate everyone, of all sizes, to lead a healthy life style. NAAFA believes you can be heavy and be healthy. NAAFA is a civil rights organization not a health organization. You can visit their web site at http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/.
Another campaign that NAAFA is against is a public service campaign is Georgia. This new campaign is drawing controversy for how it depicts fat children. The first phase of the campaign can viewed here http://www.healthhabits.ca/2012/01/03/stop-sugarcoating-childhood-obesity/. The campaign is meant to be a three phase public service announcement. Phase 1 is meant to attract attention, which it is doing. Phase 2 will educate parents that there are ways to prevent and reverse childhood obesity. Phase 3 will offer support and tools to battle obesity.
Ray Antonacci, http://www.oururgentcare.com/,
Make Our Urgent Care, Your Urgent Care.
Visit us at the above link or if your in our area visit us for your urgent care needs.
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