Yesterday a story about an 8 year-old boy, Connor McCreaddie, in the UK who may be taken away from his mother for being severely overweight hit the news. According to health and social authorities, the boy, weighing in at 14 stone (approximately 89kg or 196lbs), required an immediate intervention to save him from the abuse incurred by his mother.
Can childhood obesity be considered a form of abuse? I believe it can.
As a parent, is it not your job to act in the best interest of your child? Claiming that you did not know better, that your child wanted it, or that other people keep treating your child is no excuse for allowing such a detrimental outcome to occur.
I am still unsure how I feel about taking the child away from his mother in this situation. However, drastic times call for drastic measures. Removing the boy from his current environment may be a short-term solution to addressing his immediate issue of obesity. However with the ever increasing rate of childhood obesity, authorities certainly cannot go around addressing all instances in this way.
A more long-term solution will have to include widespread education on healthy lifestyle habits. Some may argue that the information is available through all sorts of government public health agencies, but that if the individual chooses not to educate him/herself, then what is a government to do?
People are “educated” everyday through advertisements they see on TV, in the subway, on billboards, etc. The information contained in these pieces of education are sometimes questionable and it is unfortunate that social marketing campaigns for improved public health and education are usually outnumbered by corporate marketing campaigns for the newest fashion trend or hot new car.
In the end, it will always be up to the individual to take responsibility for him/herself and acquire the education and information that is available to them.
Here’s one of my favourite ads for the promotion of education (Click on the “As seen on TV” in the top right hand corner with the picture of a chalk outline) proving that ignorance not only isn’t bliss, it can kill.
Post a Comment