Three Abandoned Children Found In Shed
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British schools ban the word "obese"
Filed under: Big Kids, Tweens, Health & Safety: Babies, Nutrition: Health, Development/Milestones: Babies, Weird But True, Going Green, Day Care & Education, Mealtime, Resources
Officials in the UK have chosen to ban the word "obese" from letters being sent to parents about their children's weight. Instead the parents of these children will receive a letter saying such children are "very overweight." The move is being called both "prissy" and "namby pamby" by Tam Fry, a member of Board of the National Obesity Forum. Namby pamby? Regardless of what you call it, Fry feels a better approach is to just come clean with parents.
In the United States, we've tried to ban the word "fat" and have replaced it with the word "obese." This may or may not be having much of an impact on our nation or our youth as our waistlines continue to get bigger (while our wallets become smaller!). One person I know quite well, however, was in denial about his weight as a teenager until he saw a doctor write the word "obese" on his report during the physical he was required to get before he left for college. That person, at that exact point, took charge of his weight and his life.
As for the UK, Primary Care Trusts, or PCTs, are being guided to measure children's height and weight at ages five and eleven. Parents can choose not to participate, and so can their children. In the event that both do choose to participate, the measurements will be sent by letter to the parents and not the children. Naturally, a good portion of the obese children are not participating in the measurements, thereby negating the attempt to correct the situation. Children as little as seven years of age are being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which was unheard of in the UK a decade ago.
What do you think? Should we go back to calling people fat? Should we call them obese? Should we only be telling their parents? Is there a good approach to any of this? I'd have to go with a quote from Aaron Neville on this one: Tell it like it is.
Pic by bethography - melting mama.
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ReaderComments (Page 5 of 5)
8-08-2008 @ 5:33PM
Gail Freeman said...Banning the word 'obese' will not help cure the problem of either children's obesity or adult obesity. It's ridiculous. Surely the issue of children's being overweight or obese can be handled by parents and doctors with a certain sensitivity without any government agency banning words that are part of a medical condition.
Yes, there is a difference between being overweight and being obese. I used to be overweight; now I'm probably in the 'obese' category. Calling myself 'large' or 'full-figured' won't change that either. But as a kid, neither I nor any of the kids I knew had a weight problem. I feel sorry for today's children if their doctors aren't even allowed to use the correct terminology when communicating with parents.
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8-11-2008 @ 4:29PM
Stine said...I find it very strange that I have yet to see a comment that addresses the hereditary aspect of weight. A lot of one's weight has to do with their genes. It is (obviously) not the only factor, and it is one against which one can fight, but it is important to acknowledge that a tendency to be overweight, or underweight, has a lot to do with nature, not nurture.
A recent study gave evidence that the human body tends to do whatever it can to maintain a certain weight. That means (according to the article I read) that when an obese person loses weight, their body believes itself to be starving and the metabolism slows until the weight is gained back. The same effect, in reverse, occurs when a skinny person is made to gain weight--their body rejects it, speeds up metabolically, and the person becomes skinny again.
I have been in the 90th percentile for height and weight since I was a baby. I have average-sized parents, one of whom is a nurse. However, each of my parents had an overweight or obese parent, and genetically, I received those traits. I have always eaten healthfully, was involved in sports and dance during my childhood, and very rarely felt limited by my size. As an adult, I am proud of the job my parents did in raising me and my siblings, and actually have a great relationship with them both.
Not all overweight people are lazy, dumb, inattentive, bad parents, or the product of bad parents. Not all overweight people stuff their mouths with junk and do nothing but watch TV and play video games. Stereotypes are ugly.
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8-09-2008 @ 12:33AM
procon said...Sorry, I double-posted on accident.
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8-11-2008 @ 1:17PM
kami gray said...No pun intended, but we need to stop sugar-coating this issue. I have no idea what's going on across the pond, but 16% of kids in America are technically obese. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Nearly one-third (or 25 million) American children are either overweight or on the brink of becoming so. Fat is a fact. It’s time to face the facts and offer them a real solution to becoming the healthy young person they were born to be.
American society is so reluctant to address the giant elephant in the room and call it what it is…that many American kids are fat and are suffering from health problems typically associated with much older adults like diabetes, hypertension, respiratory problems, sleep disorders, gallbladder problems, and coronary heart disease.
We can criticize parents, television, school cafeterias, teachers, and society as a whole, but that doesn’t change the situation or do much to help kids. They need answers. They need to gently, thoughtfully, but matter-of-factly hear the truth. Parents and teachers have no problem telling children they need a little help in reading or math, but we’re afraid to tell them out loud that they need help in becoming less fat.
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