Tag Archives: Georgia

Should You Tell Your Kid That They’re Fat?

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There is a new campaign in Georgia called Strong4Life. The campaign is using stark videos and in your face tactics to get the attention of Georgia’s parents on the obesity epidemic facing the children of their state. The site is full of statistics that would make any parent worry about the health of their children.

From their FAQ:

  • Nearly one million kids in Georgia are overweight or obese
  • 75% of parents in Georgia who have overweight or obese children  do not recognize the problem
  • Georgia’s obesity costs are estimated to be 2.4 billion per year due to the rise in this epidemic

The videos are striking and quite direct.

The arguments against these ads are that they shame kids. Do they need the ads to tell them, when often times they are teased and picked on in school? If a kid, through some miracle, was unaware of societies general perception of the obese, would telling them miraculously solve all of the problems that caused them to be overweight to begin with?

 

Instead of spending money pointing out that there is a problem, which is clear to anyone with two eyes and some sense, the money would be better spent fixing the issues surrounding it. Spending money teaching parents to cook healthy, fresh foods. Subsidizing fresh foods to make them more affordable. Education about what healthy eating is. The great part of the fact that this issue is impacting children, is that they are captive audience in school for ten months out of the year. This is the best opportunity to encourage movement with recess and sports programs and to teach children how to make healthy choices when it comes to food.

Do you think this ad program is helpful or hurtful?