In the news today: Childhood Obesity front and center
Childhood obesity has been in the national spotlight for a while now (in fact, AOTA selected it as an emerging niche in occupational therapy), and today in the news we wanted to feature three articles about the issue.
Back in January, we featured an article in The Pulse of the 1-Minute Update about new advertisements in Georgia to combat childhood obesity that were making some experts uncomfortable. One of the advertisements shows an overweight girl on screen with the text, “Warning! It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not.” See one ad below.
CNN continues the conversation and debate today with an article about how Georgia’s largest pediatric healthcare provider is trying to use the controversy surrounding the advertisements to get more attention to the problem of childhood obesity. Most of the advertisements and billboards have been taken down, but the conversation continues. CNN talked with some of the children featured in the ads, interviewed the company that created the ads, and discusses the need for a cultural change to combat childhood obesity. Read it here.
In other news, WebMD reported a study that found that children who feel left out tend to be less active than their more socially engaged peers. Researchers say it’s the first study to look at whether ostracism affects physical activity. Read about it here. The study’s findings could be an opportunity for occupational therapy practitioners in the schools to help children who feel left out to make connections and friends and get more active.
Finally, Kaiser Health News discusses the new debate among experts about whether children should be screened for cholesterol. Because the one in 500 children who inherit a disorder that causes high levels of bad cholesterol have no observable symptoms, as many as half of the kids don’t know they even have the condition. An expert panel recommended that all kids be screened for high cholesterol, but some believe that universal screening can do more harm than good and could result in some children being put on needless cholesterol lowering medications. Read the arguments here.
We want to know what you think about these topics. Do you think the ads featuring children who are overweight or obese went over the line? Or was it just what is needed to get the conversation on childhood obesity started? Have you noticed that kids who are often left out are less physically active? Do you have any ideas or programs that can help get those kids more active? Finally, do you think it’s worth screening every child for cholesterol to catch those few who have an undiagnosed issue? Tell us in the comments.
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