[Kizzy]

Youtube video

[Livia]

It's no worse than the anti-smoking and anti drink-driving information films I've seen

[Niamh.]

No I don't think it's fat shaming, obesity is a problem in western countries today and alot of it starts with what parents are feeding their kids and habits they give them relating to food. Educating parents on how to not let this happen is a good thing imo

[Z]

Being fat should be shameful in a world where billions of people can't even access fresh water or food on a regular basis.

[Kizzy]

The strong 4 life campaign in America has been criticised for 'fat shaming' I guess in the same way as the 'are you beach ready' slogan was. I don't see it as fat shaming either, I don't see anything wrong with either campaign.

[LeatherTrumpet]

Good, parents with fat kids should be ashamed for feeding them too much crap and being lazy

[Toy Soldier]

Being fat is not a good thing. Dunno if it should be "shamed" but it certainly shouldn't be normalised or celebrated.

[Kizzy]

I think it hits harder for some as they feel they're being branded lazy parents, the only thing is in the vid it's an average size person raising the child , having the mother shown as larger might have been better as it would show her raising a child how she herself was raised unhealthily and how to stem the cycle.

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

I think it hits harder for some as they feel they're being branded lazy parents, the only thing is in the vid it's an average size person raising the child , having the mother shown as larger might have been better as it would show her raising a child how she herself was raised unhealthily and how to stem the cycle.

It's ot necessarily lazy parenting but often there's an element of it being parents who don't know what else to do to make things run smoothly. Although it's often a factor - Parents of overweight children aren't always overweight themselves. My daughter went to a dance class where one of the girls, aged just 5, was full on morbidly obese. Her mum was really skinny. But she was constantly bribing / rewarding this girl with food, which is the other major cause of childhood obesity, and also a surefire way to set up bad food habits for life (food = reward = feel good).

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

It's ot necessarily lazy parenting but often there's an element of it being parents who don't know what else to do to make things run smoothly. Although it's often a factor - Parents of overweight children aren't always overweight themselves. My daughter went to a dance class where one of the girls, aged just 5, was full on morbidly obese. Her mum was really skinny. But she was constantly bribing / rewarding this girl with food, which is the other major cause of childhood obesity, and also a surefire way to set up bad food habits for life (food = reward = feel good).

Yeah also if you give your child food to comfort them if they're upset as kidds or if they hurt themselves etc can make people emotional eaters which is a terrible habit to give you child

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

It's ot necessarily lazy parenting but often there's an element of it being parents who don't know what else to do to make things run smoothly. Although it's often a factor - Parents of overweight children aren't always overweight themselves. My daughter went to a dance class where one of the girls, aged just 5, was full on morbidly obese. Her mum was really skinny. But she was constantly bribing / rewarding this girl with food, which is the other major cause of childhood obesity, and also a surefire way to set up bad food habits for life (food = reward = feel good).

That is an example of lazy parenting though isn't it?
That is the target of the parents in the vid it seems the 'anything for a quiet life' The example I suggested are those who have grown up with bad choices and are passing on those bad choices to the next generation because they have no knowledge or experience of nutrition.

[Ammi]

...hmmm, I'm not sure about this campaign and that it's the way to go with 'educating' ...there are posters as well with obese children and I think that's more making the children the 'targets', rather than obesity itself and obese children get targeted enough by bullying etc already so this makes me feel a bit uncomfortable...yeah, obesity is a big issue in young people and growing and it is something that has to be educated to parents ..but this seems quite a negative way to me and I think it was better with Jamie Oliver and his way of healthy eating education in that he didn't actually focus on weight etc but on all children and parents...

[Toy Soldier]

I do agree that the focus should be on all children. Obesity isn't the only sign of a problem with home eating habits, for a start, there are a lot of kids who are lacking in various dietary vitamins and minerals and are even borderline malnourished due to crappy eating. Doesn't even necessarily mean they aren't being fed "enough" - birdseye oven stuff and microwave meals every night will result in a very unhealthy child who won't necessarily be fat. Might even be underweight despite eating "a lot".

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I do agree that the focus should be on all children. Obesity isn't the only sign of a problem with home eating habits, for a start, there are a lot of kids who are lacking in various dietary vitamins and minerals and are even borderline malnourished due to crappy eating. Doesn't even necessarily mean they aren't being fed "enough" - birdseye oven stuff and microwave meals every night will result in a very unhealthy child who won't necessarily be fat. Might even be underweight despite eating "a lot".

...hmm, there are lots of things I think that make me uncomfortable with this/not the sentiment behind it but the way it's been done..just not great really ...it's just for me targeting obese children rather than obesity itself and as it portrays, their obesity is through no fault of their own and aren't obese children targeted enough by the peers etc..?..

...just try telling a loving parent that their child is underweight/overweight from when that child fist has their health checks and all you'll in still is all kinds of guilt, yes but also a defensiveness that will stop them absorbing the 'message' that is trying to be conveyed and a protectiveness toward their child ..you know, my child is beautiful you just go away and those feelings are reinforced with grandparents, friends etc so it all just becomes negative and a process of 'alienating' from the 'message' etc...and sometimes it could be that their child is coming home from school and saying....******, called me 'fat' mum and I'm so upset etc and the campaign seems to be reinforcing that obese children are 'targets'....

..I think for me anyway this isn't the same as things like 'shock' stuff with alcohol/cigarettes etc because those aren't things that are generally something a young child or toddler or whatever would be involved in doing..you know, those are 'adult' things and things that are at least thought of as something people are doing themselves rather than something that 'is being done to a child' of which they have no control over....anyways, I haven't fully got my thoughts together with this...(as you can probably see by the shambles of my post.....)...but it just isn't sitting right at the moment/the method of the campaign....

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I do agree that the focus should be on all children. Obesity isn't the only sign of a problem with home eating habits, for a start, there are a lot of kids who are lacking in various dietary vitamins and minerals and are even borderline malnourished due to crappy eating. Doesn't even necessarily mean they aren't being fed "enough" - birdseye oven stuff and microwave meals every night will result in a very unhealthy child who won't necessarily be fat. Might even be underweight despite eating "a lot".

Yeah, very good points TS

[Kizzy]

I think this is an attempt at nipping this in the bud, if a child does come home saying they are being bullied then there is already an issue. This is a from the cradle approach, if good food choices are made then it's a lifestyle not a 'diet'.

[Vicky.]

Originally Posted by Livia

It's no worse than the anti-smoking and anti drink-driving information films I've seen

This.

The anti-drink driving ones are actually horrific

Mind, not much seems to be actually done about obesity. I know the fault lies with the person who eats rubbish (or the parent in the case of kids) but...some people know my daughter was in hospital from Sunday to Tuesday this week. You would expect a hospital to promote healthy eating right? Every day, the choices on the food trolley were chips, potato smileys, chicken nuggets, fish fingers, and spaghetti hoops. There was A vegetable curry, however this was for a child on the ward with special dietary requirements... Desert choices were yoghurt (ok) chocolate biscuits and icecream. There was the option of toast for breakfast (albeit with white bread, which isn't the healthiest either) but the only cereal options were sugary rubbish.

I spent a bloody fortune buying sandwiches and such for her while she was in, and fruit which was severely lacking on the ward (there were 2 bananas in the family room that we were told everyone had the option to eat..but they were actually black? Also two between 20 or so kids is ridiculous)

So yeah. When even the professionals are feeding the kids rubbish, its easy to see where its all going wrong really. I was lucky I had spare cash in the bank or I would have had to feed her on that sh it for 3 days

[Niamh.]

Jeez Vicky that's crazy isn't it? What bloody hope is there of changing parents attitudes to cooking for their kids when the Health service doesn't even promote healthy eating for sick kids in Hospital?

[Kizzy]

Oh don't get me started on the outsourced crud that those firms provide hospitals and schools with ... grrrr!