{"id":5721,"date":"2012-01-05T05:46:58","date_gmt":"2012-01-05T03:46:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ultimatefatburner.com\/?p=5721"},"modified":"2015-12-07T11:52:31","modified_gmt":"2015-12-07T16:52:31","slug":"actions-speak-louder-than-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ultimatefatburner.com\/ufb-blog\/actions-speak-louder-than-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Actions Speak Louder Than Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

The state of Georgia has a new – and controversial – ad campaign about childhood obesity.<\/p>\n

What’s controversial about it? This ABC News vid<\/a> gets to the heart of it:<\/p>\n

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Georgia has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the US. Supporters say it’s “…a crucial\u00a0first step” and\u00a0 “…necessary to spark a conversation.”\u00a0 On the flip side, critics charge that it stigmatizes fat kids; could increase bullying; and fails to offer any real solution.<\/p>\n

Who’s right?<\/p>\n

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<\/a>:<\/p>\n

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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.”<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

…”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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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