Childhood obesity billboards too much??

Shawna_831

I'm curious how you guys feel about these billboards that are being put up in my city?



http://www2.wrbl.com/news/2011/feb/21/dr-jan-mcbarron-supports-stop-childhood-obesity-bi-ar-1490218/

LOVEsummer

I think they are a wake up call that is sorely needed

in_it_2_win_it

I think it's Mean... THEY ARE CHILDREN!!!!!!!!

sexygenius

poor fat kids..haveing the fact that they are fat plastered on billboards...

Setof2Keys

Can you add some examples? I haven't seen them yet.

sexygenius

Can you add some examples? I haven't seen them yet.

watch the video in the link

ChassityGetsFit

I kinda wish we did have those billboards in our area!!! Childhood obesity is a problem and isn't the childrens fault, it's the parents fault! I can already see how my husband and I are influencing our daughter to adopt unhealthy standards when we buy her m&m's every time we go to the store. My husband just bought her chocolate covered daughnuts, a peppermint patty, AND some chocolate candies just yesterday when they went to the store! I grew up slightly overweight and uncomfortable with myself and it's this and our poor message about what we eat to our kids that is motivating me the most to become healthy for my children!

strandedeyes

This wake up call is needed.

trainguy917

I think they are great. Especially considering they are using the real stories of real children. As with everything, people will take it the wrong way and become even more entrenched on the opposite side. That speaks more to the ignorance and laziness of those people than to the signs themselves.

backinthenines

I don't thinks it's trying to stigmatise children, it's trying to make parents aware and hold them responsible for their children's health and IHMO that's a good thing.

Some serious awareness raising needs to be done because parents of obese children (who are usually obese themselves) don't even recognise or acknowledge their children's weight and future health risks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12226744

sabrinafaith

I agree completely with those billboards. These kids need their parents to take a more active roll in their diet and fitness. These kids are already probably being bullied at school for being so overweight. Is it better to allow it to continue till they die from complications with type 2 diabetes at the age of 15?????

AllisonMarisa

I used to think it was too much, but then when I started taking public health classes and reading the statistics, to be honest- it was scary.

According to the CDC
Looking at studies on obesity from 1976-1980 in comparison to a study in 2008 -
Among preschool children aged 2-5, obesity increased from 5.0% to 10.4% between 1976-1980 and 2007-2008 and from 6.5% to 19.6% among those aged 6-11. Among adolescents aged 12-19, obesity increased from 5.0% to 18.1% during the same period.

Kids who are overweight as children are 2/3rds more likely to be overweight as adults. It's so much easier to change the habits of a child, than as an adult. And when kids are overweight, it's really the adults that need to be talked to far more than the kids.

strandedeyes

poor fat kids..haveing the fact that they are fat plastered on billboards...

I highly doubt these children had no idea they were going to be used in this campaign. I am sure that their parents know and the kids knew (to an extent) why they were being photographed.

sabrinafaith

And its really aimed at the parents. Some parents really don't understand how dangerously overweight their kids are. Its not about having a skinny kid. Its about having a HEALTHY kid!

mrau719

I think that without the face of the children the message wouldn't hit so close to home to so many people. The fact that the information is true is what makes it so controversial. People don't want to hear the truth and that's why they don't like it.

Children who are overweight and obese are multiple times more likely to become obese as adults. I don't remember the exact statistic but it's extremely high. I was overweight/obese as a child and it made getting to a normal weight VERY hard. Had the problem been addressed earlier 2/3 of the population may not be overweight or obese.

FearAnLoathing

It reminds me of when I lived in Sacramento and they put up these billbords for a gym that had a picture of an alien on it and said when they come they will eat the fat ones first.People were PISSED about.I thought it was funny.

This on the other hand is a wake up call,we have a problem and ignoring it will not make it go away.Parents are in controll of what thier kids eat no kid should be heavy like that,

NoAdditives

I think they're great and completely necessary. You can spout facts and statistics all day long and it's easy for parents to ignore. Putting a child's face with that information makes it personal. Parents with overweight or obese children will think of their child(ren) when they see those billboards. It's the only way to really get the point across.

jimmydeanbakker

But it's true. If both parents are obese, the likelihood of the children being obese is over half. What's the reality of obesity? One obese individual doesn't hurt the economy; it doesn't have an effect on society as a whole; but when you look at a nation of obese people where 30 percent of adults have a BMI over thirty, we're talking about a pandemic of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. With a health care system based on the numbers, we cannot afford this. Everybody will pay higher premiums in order to deal with this pandemic. The military has had to change its way of doing exercises to accommodate the overweight kids joining its ranks because many of them are getting stress fractures from simply running two miles.

Where do we put the blame for our overweight children? We're feeding them the fatty foods. We're substituting fast food for a healthy meal because we don't feel like cooking. We're the ones buying breaded chicken, fried chicken, tv dinners, donuts, and all the crap causing this obesity epidemic. We're the ones letting our kids eat as much food as possible because we're afraid of being bad parents if we let them go without every once in awhile. It's our fault that we've raised an unhealthy nation. Some of the kids walking around only know what fruit is because they saw it in a picture once.

So, is this billboard too much? I don't think it's enough.

ivyjbres

Well, they (the kids and their parents) had to consent to participate, its not like its still shots from a hidden camera. They do genuinely want people to understand what they are going through. So I think its a good thing. Its not pretty, but a lot of the things that make people think a little deeper about a topic aren't pretty.

Jena_72

I think I have mixed feelings. I think a wake up call IS needed but posting the kids I don't agree with. I like the commercials like the commercials that show mom's taking control of THEIR KITCHENS! Putting THEM The PARENT as the face of responsibility. Kids are a product of their environment, should have put the fat parents ON the billboard NOT the kids. But with a firm but positive message about making change for the sake of the kids.

ivyjbres

lol. Reminds me of Zombieland, "Rule number one: Cardio."

fitnesspirateninja

They don't seem overtly offensive to me. It sounds like the biggest issue is that they used children in the ads, but that's the whole point, right? Is it that people don't like children being called obese in billboard form?

On the other hand, I don't know how successful this campaign will be. Parents need to be educated and they need support. Do billboard ads actually help educate people?

lilmissy2

I don't think it's any kind of wake up call. My experience is that even a gentle nudge in the 'this is your responsibility' direction for parents of overweight children tends to send them running in the opposite direction. I think rather than accusing people of doing things wrong, we need to find a way to support them, as families, to make changes. The sad truth is, that not everyone knows exactly where they are going wrong. Sure, they know salad is healthy and cake is not but they often have little concept of how they can incorporate normal foods into an everyday healthy lifestyle in terms of portion control and food preparation skills.

trainguy917

I realized after reading my post that it could be taken as a shot at some of the posters in this thread. When I was speaking of ignorance and laziness, I was speaking of parents who will see these signs and think that it doesn't apply to them and their dangerously overweight children, not to people who expressed sympathy toward the kids on the signs. I hope no one took it that way.

As an overweight adult who was an overweight child, I wish something had happened to convince my parents and, even more, me to realize that the traditional fat-and-sugar-laden foods that had been fine on the farm with people who were working off all those extra calories, were not okay now that we were no longer living on the farm and doing chores from dawn to dusk. But that really was a different time. We understand nutrition and fitness so much better now than then. I don't blame my parents. But parents have to know now. Even folks on a limited income can find healthier choices for their kids. If they could just quit buying the fast food, they could afford to cook healthier meals.

angiesteele

I saw that after leaving work yesterday. Honestly I think it is a wake up call.....

Corinne_Bruce

poor fat kids..haveing the fact that they are fat plastered on billboards...

I highly doubt these children had no idea they were going to be used in this campaign. I am sure that their parents know and the kids knew (to an extent) why they were being photographed.

Totally agree, they had to sign a release in order for their face to be on the billboards anyway. I think it's the wake up call America needs!!

HeatherShrinking

Holy crap! Am I the only one that was appalled by their news reporting. How many puns can you stick in a story? "The big fat controversy," "Let's weigh in," etc. (Anyone watch "How I Met Your Mother?" It sounds like Robyn's fake news reports!). Plus, their experts are one doctor and facebook users? How does that make a balanced story? How about a child psychologist to address the affects this could have on the children in the ads or other children seeing them?

HeatherShrinking

lol. Reminds me of Zombieland, "Rule number one: Cardio."

Awesome! One of the reasons I have started to take up Cardio!

fitnesspirateninja

I don't think it's any kind of wake up call. My experience is that even a gentle nudge in the 'this is your responsibility' direction for parents of overweight children tends to send them running in the opposite direction. I think rather than accusing people of doing things wrong, we need to find a way to support them, as families, to make changes. The sad truth is, that not everyone knows exactly where they are going wrong. Sure, they know salad is healthy and cake is not but they often have little concept of how they can incorporate normal foods into an everyday healthy lifestyle in terms of portion control and food preparation skills.

This is a great idea. So much of the information we get is finger-pointing and telling us what we're doing wrong. How exactly does one prepare a healthy meal when you're short on cash and time? How big is a "serving" of vegetables? How do you read a nutritional label when the serving size says one oz. but there's seven in a package?

I had to teach myself how to eat right and excercise, but I already knew that processed foods and a lack of excercise made me overweight. Creating a realistic lifestyle change evaded me for years because I didn't have the tools I needed.

Maybe their money would be better spent on educational outreach? Free cooking, meal planning, and excercise classes for parents and kids would be a good start.

✿KẙMb529✿

I wasn't really offended by the billboards and totally agree that SOMETHING needs to be done. I think they should've included the parents on the bilboard. My bet is that they're obese too. There is definitely a trend here and America needs to SEE it.

karilynn27

It is definitely a much needed wake up call, childhood obesity is getting out of hand, just because they are children doesnt mean they can eat whatever they want.

I think the billboards are great.