Boston’s Metrowest Community Health Foundation has created a stir with a new ad campaign showcasing the dangers of ignoring childhood obesity. Provocative billboards depict obese children with warnings of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and sleep apnea.
What’s more interesting than the ads is the reaction that they have drawn. It seems there are those who want to protect the sensibilities of children at the expense of their health. And then there’s the tired excuse that addressing overweight will create a generation of anorectics.
While childhood obesity is complex, the failure of parents to implement structure and feeding discipline in lives of their children is an often overlooked step in making some children obese. Kudos to Martin Cohen, Metrowest Foundation president, for brazenly reminding parents about the consequences they can expect from the daily choices they make.