Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Apparently it's causing quite a stir:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/09/144799538/controversy-swirls-around-harsh-anti-obesity-ads?sc=fb&cc=fp

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

i am learning you can eat somewhat healthy with a cheap budget. BEANS are really cheap and great substitution for meat. If we can't afford chicken breast then I just make something with beans instead. I mean its not as simple as a Salisbury steak and mac and cheese banquet meal at times but its definitely healthier.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I think it is brilliant and should have been done sooner. I wholeheartedly agree with their reasoning for being blunt to raise awareness. Childhood nutrition is something I'm very passionate about, and I absolutely believe it is the parents responsibility to teach healthy eating habits. Childhood obesity is an epidemic....the potential for future health risks is enormous. Kids are being raised on fast food while sitting around texting and playing video games instead of being active and exercising. The apathy of parents toward eating healthy habits is only hurting their children.

And honestly, why should it be sugarcoated? Haven't We seen, as a country, that we pretty much get nowhere with coddling and handholding, except stunting the ability to be responsible for ones actions? It's no one elses fault...not McDonalds or Burger Kings fault...and willful ignorance of medical facts and statistics makes parents complicit. And while I do believe tht in many parts of the country, education and financial status have a big hand in childhood obesity, that is why I support Michelle Obamas healthy eating initiative.

Parents have to be held accountable to their children if they are not feeding them nutritious meals or encouraging exercise. To me, it is akin to a form of abuse. Until kids are old enough to make food choices for themselves, parents must be the ones to set the examples. I think the ads are a great thing.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I am not sure if it is all to blame on fast food. I mean I ate fast food as a kid as well, not a ton ever, but once in awhile.

I think the main issue is kids do less activity. When we were kids we were outside all the time, playing or helping our parents with stuff around the house. A lot of kids today do nothing, ever. They sit inside and play with electronic stuff now.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

great ads.

there was the bbc show a while back that showed parents what their kids would look like in 20 years if they kept feeding them the way they were..it was heartbreaking and so real.

it's really not that hard at all to feed your kids proper healthy meals. and it doesn't have to be expensive either. I can make a healthy meal for less than the cost of a happy meal.

people need to stop being so freaking LAZY.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Message edited 1/10/2012 10:46:42 AM.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I support it

And I agree its less activity. Why is it people look at me side ways when I say my child can't use a computer mouse or use touch screen phones etc.

Big deal. She runs and plays and paints and does crafts. I want her active. I don't want her sitting her fat butt in front of a computer or TV. You want to watch Mickey Mouse or Little Einsteins then youre gonna get up and boogy to the music. she literally RUNS back and forth through our house for no reason other than to 'fly'.

We all know I'm a freak about candy and stuff. She's still not given chips of any type. She doesn't have candy at home as a treat or a bribe, she's not given chocolate. I bribe her, sure. but not with crap I know I'll have to continue.

I was in denial of the OJ splurge but now I know better. There's no shame in making mistakes, the shame is just getting it continue because its always been that way.

Our kids are getting fat.. its the truth and I lay the blame on parents. I hope not to make the same mistakes.

Disclaimer: there's always health exceptions but come on.. not every kid is a health issue so much that actually affects national averages

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

On the surface,I think it's a good idea. It sounds like awareness and education are a HUGE problem in GA.

My only worry is that these ads might increase bullying of overweight children. If these ads are going up, basically calling attention to it being "bad" to be fat, there might be more bullying or older kids who have struggled with their weight might feel even lower self esteem.

I am definitely in favor of combating the obesity epidemic, but I am not in favor of fat shame, etc. On one hand, we can't feed children french fries and parents DO need to take responsibility, but on the other hand, we need to understand and accept that people come in all shapes and sizes.

I say this from experience. I have been overweight for most of my life. I actually started out VERY petite. I was healthy but my parents would get comments about how thin I was and even though the doctors said it was ok, they'd feed me anything I wanted to get me to eat. That started a lifetime of struggles with my weight.

Now I'm always struggling with my weight. I gained a LOT of weight after a car accident and find it hard to lose since I can't be active. I do eat healthy and I'm a vegetarian.

I've gotten some pretty nasty comments from DOCTORS about my weight. I've been told to stop eating twinkies (I don't think I've had a twinkie in 20 years). People who are fat are shamed all the time and I don't think that's right.

My friend recently posted on facebook about an experience she had at a doctor. She went in because she was experiencing a drastic decrease in appetite. She was going entire days without eating or feeling hungry. The doctor said to her "Well, that might not be the worst thing for you." Totally disgusting. So because she's overweight, she should starve!!??!?!

it's been shown in studies that doctors view overweight people differently and give different advice, etc to overweight people.

Sorry this got way off track, but I wish there were a way to get through to parents without shaming the kids and adults who are overweight.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I agree with the ads. Its about time people start taking responsibility for themselves and their children's eating habits.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I'm, reading a book about change called "the Switch" it talks about how you have to appeal to both the rational side and the emotional side of people AND make the directions clear.

These ads definitely provoke the emotional side, but what do they do for the rational side? How do they create a path for people to follow

One of the things the book says is that when people are non compliant, a lot of the time they don't know what to do. For example, if you tell someone "eat healthier", there are a MILLION ways to do that. You could cut fat. You could cut meat, you could cut carbs. You could eat more "good carbs". Obesity is more prevalent in poorer/less educated communities. For one thing, people may not KNOW the right thing to do, and it may not be easy.

The book also talked about an ad campaign in Virginia. Apparently most Americans drink a lot of milk, and mostly they drink whole milk. For most people, they think this is good. Milk provides needed calcium and nutrients. It "does a body good"

but this ad campaign showed graphically (with tubes of fat...eww) how much fat is in a gallon whole milk, and encouraged people to buy 1% or skim milk. It did work and people bought the low fat milk at a MUCH higher rate. So it appealed to their emotions (tube of pure fat..ewww) and also gave them really specific instructions.

I think it might be better to have campaigns like that which give clear, easy to follow directives on how to have healthier kids.

All the gross out ads are going to do is make people more ashamed of being fat. It may give parents more motivation, but that has to be accompanied by tools.

And we need to stop fat shaming. Honestly. Some people are fat because they chow down on 10 twinkies a day, but most people do struggle without the right tools or with a body working against them. Lots of studies have shown that with weight loss you're working against your body in a big way.

For example, let's say I weight 200 lbs now, but I used to weigh 230. So, great, I lost 30 lbs, right? Well, it's not that great, because if my sister is also 200 lbs, but was never heavier, I actually have to eat 400 calories LESS than she does to maintain my weight. Even though we both weigh 200 lbs now, If I eat the same exact thing she does, I'll be back up to 230 in no time. As you lose weight you need fewer and fewer calories to maintain your weight, and even eating like a "normal" person will make you gain.

it's NOT a simple matter of calories in -calories out.

And these KIDS are not to blame and should not face teasing at school.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I'm not sure of my feelings because I need to see the effect on bullying and self esteem of kids and teens.

I agree with the message that we MUST ensure healthy eating and active lifestyles. I disagree with determining healthy eating and healthy lifestyles simply by looking at someone. You can have a skinny kid who eats mcdonalds and nothing else and plays video games all day. You can have a heavier kid who eats tons of fruits, veggies, whole grains, yogurt, hummus, etc, and enjoys reading, playing outside and being generally active. Genetics plays a huge role in physical size and shape, especially for children, and throughout life as well. I also think there are enough body image problems in this world already. Schools and parents need to work together to set up the right examples and options. Government needs to do its part by making affordable options for healthy alternatives.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

I live in Atlanta and have seen these ads all over from billboards over highways and bus stops awnings. I have to say, as a very health conscious adult with a young daughter I am conflicted every time I see one. I think it's important to raise awareness and if need be shock them into making important changes. On the flip side, I hate seeing a child on a sign at a bus stop being looked at as overweight. That's all they want us to see and I think that's a dangerous message that unfortunately comes along with this tactic. My heart breaks for that child (and it's always a different child that I see, never the same) and what comes to my mind first is how can we let that poor child be advertised as overweight and a product of bad habits. These are kids, and I just don't know if they should be used in this way for this campaign.

On a similar note, some schools are starting anit obesity campaigns. They are weighing all the students. Students don't ever find out what the scales says. However the parents get a handed a letter that states the childs weight and whether they fall in the healthy range or not. If not, they are counseled on how to get them to a healthier place. Now this I support. It's costing nobody any money and targeting exactly who it needs to without hurting anyone.

Re: Anti-Obesity ads in Georgia feature children. Thoughts?

It applies to 150 lbs too. 200lbs was the example given in the survey.

I have been 200lbs though. I did NOT get there eating junk food. I'm a vegetarian. When I was younger I was very active in dance, yoga, sports,etc. I was still not thin. After multiple car accidents I can't be as active. I WISH I had gotten here eating twinkies and burgers. I could otherwise just stop eating burgers and twinkies. Once I got to that weight after being in bed for months, my body now doesn't want to lose it, so it's harder for me than for another person, especially since my ability to exercise comes and goes.

It's just really hurtful when people make assumptions about you and your habits when you're a certain weight. People do it ALL the time and I would hate to increase that, especially in children.

Instead of shaming people, we need to educate them.