Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Posted By elissa on Jan 5, 2012 | 1 comment

The state of Georgia has a new – and controversial – ad campaign about childhood obesity.

What’s controversial about it? This ABC News vid gets to the heart of it:

Georgia has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the US. Supporters say it’s “…a crucial first step” and  “…necessary to spark a conversation.”  On the flip side, critics charge that it stigmatizes fat kids; could increase bullying; and fails to offer any real solution.

Who’s right?

Personally, I’m siding with the critics. For me, it’s ultimately about results… and it would seem that Georgia’s approach doesn’t quite jibe with other successful public health campaigns:

But certain variations of the ad may not be doing much to fix the problem, some experts argued. They pointed to one print ad, in particular, that says, “It’s hard to be a little girl if you’re not.”

“While guilt and fear are motivators, they have to be meted out with the answer to the situation,” Labbok said. “The ads with the children do not offer help to them.”

According to health communication experts, successful public health campaigns offer a clear call to action. Labbok says the Georgia ads address the problem, but don’t give viewers a clear solution.

…”There is no mention about what a parent can do other than to say ‘stop sugarcoating the problem,'” said Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, professor of pediatrics at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The ads do direct viewers to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta web site, “Strong4Life.” But there’s not much inspiration there… I don’t think I’ve seen a more pallid list of recommendations. Here’s a sample:

• For younger children, don’t include the word “workout” in your vocabulary—instead, promote “play time” and encourage activities that are fun and physical such as hop-scotch, jumping rope, tag or hide-and-go-seek.
• Make fruits and vegetables fun! Try dressing up sandwiches with faces and smiles made from fruits and vegetables.
• Sometimes, overindulging at the holidays can lead to eating unhealthy all of the time. Try to recognize when your family’s holiday eating has become an unhealthy habit.
• Take “happy” back. Remember, treating your kids to fast food is not the only way to make them happy. Spending time together—whether it’s cooking a meal at home or going for a walk—is a surefire way to see some smiles.
• Know your child’s BMI (Body Mass Index). This number will help you understand whether he or she is at risk for certain obesity related health problems.

There’s nothing wrong with any of these, of course, but it’s all up to individual parents to make it happen… and there’s precious little info about resources that kids’ parents might be able to exploit, other than “your healthcare provider” or “local public health department.”

Sure, parents are ultimately responsible, but as “Shape Up Vicksburg” founder Linda Fondren points out: “People want to do good, but they need help.” This is why “Shape Up Vicksburg” offers a walking club, nutrition/cooking seminars and other activities, all organized at the community level. It’s personal: the web site subhead reads: “Saving Our Community, 1 Pound at a Time.” So far, 15,000 pounds have been lost by program participants.

Fondren’s efforts are “bottom-up.” Georgia’s, on the other hand, are “top-down.” This isn’t a problem per se, IF sufficient resources are committed to the effort. For example, the recent decline in childhood obesity in New York City was backed by significant improvements in early childhood center/school food and physical activity.

In contrast, Georgia’s cut back on school nutrition funding, gym classes and recess; and has barely started to tackle the subject of “food deserts.”  And the latter issue is important, since poverty in Georgia is on the rise… and obesity rates track with poverty rates.

IMHO, telling people that a) their kids have a problem; but b) it’s up to them to fix it doesn’t strike me as the start of a very productive “conversation.” I can appreciate the desire to “do something,” but in the end, that “something” needs to be effective. And when it comes to obesity/public health, actions speak louder than words.