Rather
than trying to rationalize suing the fast food industry or the
soda companies for our nation’s childhood obesity epidemic,
maybe we should be arresting parents of obese children for child
abuse or neglect.
Among children and teens ages 6-19, 15 % (almost 9
million) are overweight according to the 1999-2000 data, (triple
what the proportion was in 1980). “One of the most significant
concerns from a public health perspective is that we know a lot
of children who are overweight grow up to be overweight or obese
adults, and thus at greater risk for some major health problems
such as heart disease and diabetes,” said CDC director
Dr. Julie. (1) A study conducted by Schwimmer, Burwinkle & Varni
at the University of California, San Diego, found
severely obese children and adolescents have a lower quality
of life than children and
adolescents who are healthy. The study also showed a reduction
in the quality of life for obese children that were similar to
children diagnosed with cancer. (2) The CDC identifies child abuse as child maltreatment including
physical abuse, neglect (physical, educational, emotional, and/or
medical), sexual abuse, emotional abuse (psychological/verbal
abuse/mental injury), and other types of maltreatment such as
abandonment, exploitation, and/or threats to harm the child.
(3) Whose responsibility is your child’s safety and upbringing?The
government’s? The Department of Education’s?
The local religious organizations’? I think we all would
agree it is our own responsibility. It strikes me as odd that
most parents seem to be able to find a way to encourage their
kids (for the most part) to wash their bodies and brush their
teeth, wake up in the morning and go to school, complete homework,
help out around the house and even get up on a Sunday morning,
dress nicely and go to their favorite house of worship. Parents
will spend countless hours and thousands of dollars to provide
their children with a good education and prepare them for a successful
life. But these very same parents have children who are inactive,
overweight or worse, obese. So why are your children having a weight and physical activity
problem? Is it genetics?
Although some children have a genetic predisposition to obesity,
it does not mean the child has to be overweight. Everyone*
increases and reduces their body fat in the same manner. Some
do it slower and others do it faster, but the metabolic process
is always the same. What is more important than your child’s
genetic makeup is what happens to them from the time they are
born to about 20-22 years old. During this time they are developing
cells and hormones which hold and regulate fat in their bodies.
As they mature into their mid 20s, they will no longer create
new fat cells** but rather just fill or empty the existing
ones with stored fat. This process continues for the rest of
their lives. In the earlier part of a child’s life their
activity level and eating habits will significantly impact
the amount of fat storage cells which are created. The more
fat cells which are produced, the more likely the child will
be fighting a weight problem for the rest of his/her life.
However, even under the worst scenario, as the child grows
older their fitness and nutritional habits will ultimately
determine their quality of life and body fat percentage. In
other words, it still does not mean they have to be overweight
or obese in their adulthood. It will just be much harder to
maintain a fit and healthy body. Is it time constrains?
Parents seem to find time to teach their children to dress, bathe,
attend school, and be socially responsible, spiritually enriched
and entertained. So you can’t convince me, there is not
enough time to train them to be physically active and nutritionally
sound and educated. |
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Is it lack of knowledge on the parent’s part?
One day a few years ago, I was camping with my family. While
walking through the campground with my wife, we saw a mother
and her daughter
(somewhere
between 6-8 years old) walking to the restrooms. The daughter was severely
obese. My wife commented on how irresponsible the mother was for letting
the child become so big. I said “How do you know the mother even understands
why the child is obese? Maybe she has no idea and just thinks that is how
her daughter is naturally.” It is certainly arguable that a parent’s
level of intelligence and education is a key factor in the successful up-bringing
of a child. However, ignorance is not excusable in the eyes of justice.
Moreover, there are plenty of overweight and obese children across all
socioeconomic
and educational level households. I rarely find a parent who does not know
to some extent what good nutrition is and what it means to be physically
active. Albeit there is always more to learn; for the most part parents
know what is right and what is wrong.
Is it obedience?
Parents seem to be able to enforce certain rules which they deem are “important” while
the child is living under their roof. Chances are there is a zero tolerance
for allowing your child to smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs. You may lay down
the law in areas of: bad language, sexual activity, body piercing or tattoos.
So I do not buy the excuse “I can’t make my kid be more active” or “I
can’t make my kid eat right”. If it was really important I bet
you would make it happen.
Is it lack of example?
Well… I think this is one of the major reasons our society has a problem.
Children learn a tremendous amount from watching what their parents do or don’t
do. However there is a certain aspect to the credo “do what I say, not
what I do”. Never the less, we all understand it always starts with our
example.
Is it just not important enough?
Bingo! Because if it was, your child would not have a weight problem or be
physically inactive. I am sorry if you are offended by my accusation but
there is no other answer. It is you. So if you really care about your child’s
ability to succeed in life and live a full and enjoyable experience, you
had better make some changes now. It really does not matter how strong an
education your child receives if he or she is going to be fighting diseases,
physical ailments and psychological conditions the rest of their lives. Does
it?
Is it really a crime?
You bet, because it is 100% preventable.
What can be done?
First make it your #1 priority. Than, depending on the age of the child, either
sit down and explain why there are new rules and why they are so important “now”,
or start today making changes in how you feed your child and how much time
they must spend being physically active. Get rid of excessive junk food around
the house. Make wiser choices when dining out for you and your child. “You” must
start to eat better especially in front of your kids. Find family activities
which require physical activity (i.e. evening or weekend walks). Schedule
a family play time. Buy fitness equipment for the house. I personally have
found studying or reading while doing cardio (e.g. riding a stationary bike
or waking on a treadmill) helps me tremendously in my concentration level,
retention rate and attention span. If you have a child with a learning disability
or some kind of “ADD”, I encourage you to try this one. It takes
a little practice but the benefits are astounding. Plus you are killing two
birds with one stone. Join a gym as a family, hire a trainer (yah! do that
one), give rewards for being more active and choosing better nutrition. Put
limits on AOL IM, TV and video games. If you have a teen, you will probably
think you can’t “make” them do these things. If your child
was smoking dope, drinking alcohol or failing school could you make them
stop? How hard would you try? If you don’t think nutrition and fitness
are as important as these activities, you should be arrested for child abuse.
(1) http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/releases/02news/obesityonrise.htm
(2) JAMA. 2003 Apr 9; 289(14):1813-9.
(3) http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/youth/childmaltreatment.htm
* In rare cases some birth defects of enzymes and hormones may cause disruptions
in the energy utilization pathways and metabolism.
** It has been shown that in extreme cases of obesity fat cells can become
hyperplasic. (Hyperplasic means split into two)
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