Obesity is definitely a problem in
America, but the strength of movements against obesity may have detrimental effects on the
health of our nation as a whole, and we must be careful about how we go about
solving these issues.
The
general opinion of child obesity is that it is horrible and needs to be
stopped. It is sometimes referred to as an “epidemic”. There is much research
and advocacy about the harmful effects of obesity. Those that are worried about
child obesity, however, already take measures to limit their children’s food
consumption and increase physical activity, and applying additional force to
the movement may have detrimental effects on prevalence of eating disorders.
This paper investigates research conducted on the relationship between dramatic
measures taken to reduce childhood obesity and the prevalence of eating
disorders.
Anti-obesity advocates are discussing the problems with obesity and throwing out solutions varying from altering school lunches, increasing physical activity, and limiting child-targeted marketing campaigns, and the movements are very widely known, even among children (Bellatti). Some are even targeted at children.
What is wrong with the way the movements are now done?
The problem is
not in the way the movements are conducted. Many of the studies have a strong
scientific background. The problem is actually with the quantity and “noise” of
the movements (Bellatti). Just as children see food advertisements targeted at
them, they also see anti-obesity “advertisements” targeted toward them
(Grinberg). This can result in negative side effects where both parents (and
the children themselves) deprive children of necessary nutrients. The nutrients
are important for growth, and some studies even suggest that children need
extra fats for growth. In extreme cases, this deprivation of nutrients and/or
relaying anti-obesity propaganda to children can increase the risk of childhood
eating disorders (Gavin). All children are targeted, healthy and obese, and
they are all given the same message: cut fats and exercise (Grinberg). Only the
overweight children need this advice, and giving it to everybody could lead to
unexpected results.
Is it the way movements are conducted that is the problem, or the
audience's perception?
The studies are
done using good science and methods, but the audience's perception and reaction
to the movements are extremely detrimental. Parents can see all the movements
and overreact to them by severely limiting their children's food consumption.
Healthy children can see the advertisements, lower their caloric intake, and
then justify their behavior by citing the prevalence of obesity in America
(Haines).
If the studies are done with good intentions, how do they result
in eating disorders?
The noise of all
of the obesity movements is eerily similar to societal pressures on children to
become skinnier. In addition to the pressure provided by the various movements,
careless parents can lecture their children about how they can't eat certain
foods because they will “get fat” if they do (Bellatti). This lecturing could
result in two different possibilities: the children rebelling against their
parents for lack of freedom (eating unhealthily despite their parent's
lectures), or they could take their parent's words to heart and eat less and
perhaps feel hopeless about meeting their parents' expectations.
How does the continual bombardment of anti-obesity material add to
the harmful effects?
Both parents and
children receive the message from the movements, and both have a different
reaction. If either reaction is an overblown one, the results could be harmful
to the children's health.
How is obesity linked with eating disorders? Is there a
connection? (Oxford Journals)
There are
hypothesized associations between obesity and eating disorders, both resulting
from excess dieting. The link between obesity and dieting, and the link between
eating disorders and dieting are given below (Haines).
Dieting linked to obesity:
Image From Haines |
Dieting linked to eating disorders:
Image From Haines |
What are the possible impacts of anti-obesity movements on
individuals in America?
Depending on the
person, the strong anti-obesity attitude in the United States may actually be
counterproductive even in decreasing obesity. The obese children feel the
tremendous pressure society puts on them, and they may see how difficult it is
to lose their weight and give up altogether. As if that is not enough, the message
is also internalized by healthy children who are already concerned about their
weight.
What if we increased the strength and amount of anti-obesity
movements?
This is
definitely the wrong thing to do. Increasing anti-obesity movements' strength
will put additional fear into parents and cause them to overreact. Overreacting
parents will cause children to overreact. The effects on children may also be
disastrous. Obese children feel hopeless and lose self-esteem, whereas healthy
children put more effort into losing weight, increasing risk factors for
development of an eating disorder (Grinberg)
How does the media fit into the mix?
The media
provides unrealistic expectations for how men and women are expected to look.
Inexperienced children believe that what they see on TV and in magazines is
real. As they start entering adolescence, they compare themselves with those
images and try to achieve the same look. Especially in the past decade, America
has been a media-driven country. The media does portray unrealistic images of
the “perfect body”, and children do see it and it does have an adverse effect
on them and their view of themselves and their body. In fact, a 16-month
decrease in magazine reading was investigated and it was found to be associated
with a decrease in symptoms for eating disorders in adolescent females
(Haines).
When the media
provides unrealistic cookie cutters for children to fit into, they are often
deterred by parents who know the truth about the false appearances of media
stars. Then comes the anti-obesity movement preaching a reduction of food
consumption and increased physical activities. Children can use the movements
to justify their attempts (to both themselves and their parents) to become as
skinny and “beautiful” as the people they see on television (Haines).
How can we solve the media issue?
The media is a
tough thing to deal with. Their only concern is selling to make a profit, and
rightly so. They know that displaying unrealistic attractive models sells, so
many companies choose that strategy. Instead of trying to change the media, it
would be more feasible to change the children's perception of the media. Ensuring adolescent children know that the
media portrays unrealistic (and even impossible) body images would be a much
smarter course of action (Haines).
Obesity movements seem so horrible! Do we even need anti-obesity
movements?
Yes, we
absolutely need something to counteract the rising obesity rates in America,
but we are taking the wrong approach. The movements should be careful about
what they support. If parents get confused about the message content, they
might think that their child mimicking a TV model is a good thing.
What can be done about it?
Instead of the
various noisy and exaggerated movements, movements should be conducted on a
more personal level. Parents should be trained to teach their children a
healthy lifestyle and the importance of leading by example. Private
correspondence between the doctor, child, and parent is also important. We just
have to be careful about who we are giving these messages to, and make sure
everybody knows how to make the children healthy without causing
already-healthy children to change their lifestyle.
How can anti-obesity organizations play a part?
Anti-obesity
organizations can target people with more personal attachments to children
rather than the children themselves. The goal of the anti-obesity organizations
should be to get the message to children that need to hear it, and the best way
to do that is to target those who best know the child's situation. An
overweight child should be given messages that support weight loss such as
increased physical activity, decreased sedentary activities, and a balanced and
nutritious diet. An underweight child should be given messages that support a
better and more fulfilling diet and should be watched for development of eating
disorders.
Who should the anti-obesity organizations target, specifically?
Doctors would be
a very valuable target because they know about both sides of the spectrum and
can promote either side depending on the particular child. Educating parents
about risk factors for both obesity and eating disorders is also a beneficial
solution. The target must be specifically aimed at adults though, and not
misguided towards children themselves who might become self-conscious or
overreact.
Works Cited
Haines, Jess and Dianne
Neumark-Sztainer. “Prevention of obesity and eating disorders: a consideration
of shared risk factors.” Oxford Journals. Oxford University Press. 17
July 2006. Web. 23 March 2013.
Bellatti, Andy. “How The
Obesity Focus Hurts the Health Movement.” HuffPost Healthy Living.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. 20 September 2012. Web. 7 April 2013.
Grinberg, Emanuelia.
“Georgia's child obesity ads aim to create movement out of controversy.” CNN
Health. Cable News Network. 7 February 2012. Web. 7 April 2013.
Gavin, Mary L. “Fats and Your
Child.” KidsHealth. The Nemours Foundation. February 2012. Web. 23 March
2013.