AMA and childhood obesity

[Ed W]

This is disturbing. On one hand, I can see that childhood obesity carries life-threatening consequences, but on the other hand I don't agree that removing a child from the home is the best way to attack the problem.


http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/politics-raising-children/2011/jul/20/journal-suggests-government-take-custody-obese-chi/

Controversy erupted this week over the article State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The article, written by Harvard childhood obesity expert David Ludwig, MD, PhD and Lindsey Murtagh, JD, MPH, a lawyer and researcher at Harvard's School of Public Health, suggests that the government intervene and take over custody of obese children.

We are not talking children who are a bit chubby, but those that register as extremely obese, such as 14 year old, 555 lb. Alexander Drape.

14-year-old Alexander Drape was 555 lbs when he was taken away from his mom Jerri Gray in 2009.

In a recent ABC News, childhood obesity expert Dr. David Ludwig said childhood obesity is abuse and requires government intervention.

[guido911]

I see your point Ed. If the government can step into a family over a child's obesity, what's to stop them from taking kids away if the parents smoke?

[Red Arrow]

... what's to stop them from taking kids away if the parents smoke?

Or drink, use foul language, don't follow a green lifestyle, are the wrong religion....

[custosnox]

555 lbs is beyond unhealthy.  Would anyone have a problem if a child was taken away for making their kid drink turpentine? Yes, a bit more extreme, but this kind of obesity is extremely dangerous.  I really don't think this is the best answer, but what else can be done in such out of hand situations where the child really is at risk?

[ZYX]

I agree that letting your kid get morbidly obese is child abuse, as well as smoking. Both can damage a child's body or leave them with diseases or other problems for the rest of their life. But I don't think taking that child away from his or her parents is the best way to go about fixing this problem. How about extending PE class hours, even by just ten minutes. And it be REQUIRED through eighth grade, unless the child partakes in another sport, in which case it should be required on the off season if there is one. Also, why not make school lunches healthier? Most of what schools serve is junk, and has very little nutritional benefit. We wonder why kids are so obese, yet we feed them nothing but junk and do not require them to do much physical activity. Obviously, educating people on making the right choices is not working, no matter how well intended. It's time to find a new solution.