Should We Sugarcoat Childhood Obesity?

A young overweight girl stands in a tight black and white frame and says in a sad voice, "I don't like going to school cause all the other kids pick on me, it hurts my feelings." A black screen follows with the words "Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid" in huge white letters.

The ad is part of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta's campaign called Strong4Life that was designed to shock overweight children and their parents into shape.

The commercials and billboards present chubby children with grim copy beneath them such as, "Fat prevention starts at home and the buffet line" or "It's hard to be a little girl if you're not."

Many public health experts claim that the ads are too harsh and won't be affective as they seem to further the bullying stygma that overweight children already face. Others were concerned that the ads only highlighted the problem without offering solutions.

Despite the critisism, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta stands behind the ads. According to data compiled for the campaign, Georgia ranks second in the nation for childhood obesity and about 1 million children are overweight or obese.

Their research also found that 50 percent of people surveyed did not find childhood obesity to be a problem and 75 percent of parents with overweight or obese kids did not see their children as having a weight issue.

This data was enough to push the pediatric health system to take drastic measures to fight the obesity epidemic that plagues many Georgia children. Their agument is that the ads are really designed to ge the attention of parents and that past campaigns to fight childhood obesity have not been successful.

Over at the Strong4Life Facebook page, comments were flying back and forth about the need for a harsh reality check for parents. A moderator for the group wrote,

A recent study published by the CDC shows adult and childhood obesity levels have remained steady for the last 12 years, suggesting national efforts at promoting healthful eating and exercise have had little effect on the overweight. Raising awareness and intent to change is the first step.

Yet, a closer look at their Facebook page offers an outlook on how a part of the community feels about the ad campaign. One concerned poster wrote:

All we need is one million blindfolds distributed to Georgia's overweight children. Kids are seeing this... whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there is no way these attack ads can be just "for the parents."

Whether the campaign will be effective or not has yet to be seen. Although I applaud the folks at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for actually taking steps to get the attention of the seventy-five percent of parents with overweight children who didn't see them having a weight issue, I can't help but feel that the ads are a bit harsh.

After watching the ads over at their YouTube page, I honestly wanted to give each of those kids a hug and tell them that I loved them just the way they were. Although I am concerned for their health, I can't help but wonder, do overweight children need such a heavy dose of tough love?

Do you think that the Strong4Life campaign is a much needed wake up call or does it bully obese children? Please leave your thoughts and experiences in the comments.