In an article, State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity, appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Tuesday, July 12, 2011, Harvard researchers, Lindsey Murtagh, JD, MPH; David S. Ludwig, MD, PhD, make the following argument:Many biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors affect energy balance and, therefore, childhood weight gain, with parents playing an important mediating role. Ubiquitous junk food marketing, lack of opportunities for physically active recreation, and other aspects of modern society promote unhealthful lifestyles in children. Inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave children vulnerable to these obesigenic environmental influences. Emotional distress and depression, or other psychological problems arising from abuse and neglect, may exacerbate this situation by leading to disordered eating and withdrawal from sports and other social activities.Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss..They continue stating 1/3 of US children are obese and overweight, and some of the extreme cases of obesity are likely to lead to serious health problems later on in life. If parents can't manage their children's obesity after being given a fair amount of time, the researchers recommend the state remove the kids from their household and place them under foster-care.This research has received a lot of critique and criticism, which is not surprising by any means. After all, the researchers are talking about removing children from their parent's home. Also, there are many holes and issues in the argument the Harvard researchers have put forward.For one, how do you know the child will become better in another household? A child's weight and obesity are not in the complete control of the parents. Other factors, such as biology also play a role. It cannot be said definitively that a child's parents are at fault. Removing the child, does not guarantee results.Also, our entire culture plays a major role in child obesity. Fast food, video games and computers instead of playing outside, and commercialism all play a major role in a child's obesity. With such external factors at work, to take the children away from the parents when they did not necessarily cause and the parents can not necessarily completely control all of the external factors seems extreme. From a practical standpoint, we could not afford to fund such a program properly. Our nation is broke, and implementing such a program would cost billions of dollars. We also don't have and wouldn't be able to get enough foster homes and parents willing to take in the children. Legally speaking, this program would be on shaky ground. The legal standard for when a child should be removed from his/her parent's household is only when the child's life is under imminent danger. For example, if a set of parents were refusing to treat a curable medical illness by refusing to administer life-saving medications and the results of such would lead to the child's death, the state can step in and take the child away charging the parents with child abuse.Anyways, what do you think? Should parents lose custody of obese and overweight children?
Many biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors affect energy balance and, therefore, childhood weight gain, with parents playing an important mediating role. Ubiquitous junk food marketing, lack of opportunities for physically active recreation, and other aspects of modern society promote unhealthful lifestyles in children. Inadequate or unskilled parental supervision can leave children vulnerable to these obesigenic environmental influences. Emotional distress and depression, or other psychological problems arising from abuse and neglect, may exacerbate this situation by leading to disordered eating and withdrawal from sports and other social activities.Even relatively mild parenting deficiencies, such as having excessive junk food in the home or failing to model a physically active lifestyle, may contribute to a child's weight problem. Typically, the potential harm involves an increased risk for obesity-related chronic disease later in life. Most overweight and obese children have the opportunity to ameliorate these risks through behavior change and weight loss..
These researchers are ridiculous. A child needs its parents, skinny or fat.
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Anonymous
These researchers are ridiculous. A child needs its parents, skinny or fat.