JULY 2010 - The Double Calamity of Childhood Obesity Ignored by Parents
Health and Emotional Problems Plaguing the Next Generations Must Be Addressed Now
CF Staff Report
Once our children get up and begin to walk, somewhere between 10 to 18 months old, parents normally see some of the “baby fat” begin to melt off as they careen around the house.
By the time they are three to four years of age, a combination of healthy eating habits and lots of play should insure healthy body weights. But if parents are being cautioned by their pediatrician that their child is beginning to show signs of being overweight, it’s time to address the problem immediately.
Being overweight has serious health risks. But also, millions of kids who are obese will likely suffer from verbal abuse, societal ostracization, stigmas, health problems and eventually die at a younger than normal age. This double calamity – health and emotional problems - will occur if parents continue to avoid the problem and ignore the cries for help from our children, according to nationally famous Dr. Sasson Moulavi, M.D., founder of the Smart for Life(R) Cookie Diet and his company’s children's lifestyle program THIN ADVENTURE(TM). He is known as “Dr. Sass.”
His program is just one of the many, many resources available to parents to face the problems headon, beginning with their diet and snacks at home.
"I am amazed by the lack of concern I see from parents about childhood obesity (http://www.thinadventure.com)," says Dr. Sass "They have either given up or push the problem to the back of their minds. Instead, they should be shouting from the rooftops for help."
Sass says that he is constantly shocked by the amount of parents who ignore their own weight problems instead of losing weight as a great example. Being obese has become normal in our society: notice the size increase in transportation seating, furniture, even caskets. Dr. Sass equates it to walking around with a 40-pound tumor in your abdomen and not seeking help.
Most overweight adults have a choice when it comes to food. Kids do not. They are obese due to circumstances beyond their control. Adults, who are also parents, working in the food manufacturing industry (formulator, manufacturer, supermarket merchandiser, etc.) start a chain of unhealthy choices. Poor-quality foods are everywhere - on store shelves and in school cafeterias - providing poor-quality snacks to fill children's bellies but not meet nutritional requirements.
Overweight and obese kids will not only die younger but suffer from more diseases than if they were at a healthy weight (http://www.smartforlife.com/SuccessStories.aspx).
Dr. Sass explains, "This is our first calamity - Global Warming and the War on Terror will be a small mosquito bite compared to this growing cancer."
The second calamity is the emotional suffering overweight kids experience as teens. A collective body of research clearly indicates that obese children are stigmatized and subject to discrimination by their peers. This emotional suffering is very intense and severe. (Research studies by Schwartz and Puhl, 2003; and Strauss and Pollack, 2003).
To start correcting these problems, parents need to take a stand with their kids and then with all channels involved in the food manufacturing industry. Enormous as the problem is, it will only increase in size as it becomes the norm in our society. Eventually, these generations will become adults who fall victim to our neglect.
Dr. Sass urges adults to correct the problems first with their own kids. "If you work together as a family, it's easier. Seek advice from your pediatrician, school, and companies such as ours who have plans that not only work, but are easy to follow. Commit to this plan - not just for a week or two, but for the long term. Giving up will only show you are weak and your kids will suffer."
You can learn more about Smart for Life at http://www.smartforlife.com.
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