Do Your Homework

Following are links to online articles - generally world-wide newspapers and health-related web sites. These links generally counter the media/diet industry hyped hysteria about childhood obesity and the demands that "something must be done." By listing these articles, we are not condoning everything said, merely presenting them as considerations. If we are missing items you feel should be listed here, please let us know. Likewise, please let us know if any of these links have become outdated and no longer work.

Items are listed with the newest at the top. 

Families Weight Comments Harm Girls For Years

Even a few remarks have lasting impact on body image

NEW YORK - Girls whose families criticize their weight or eating habits may develop lasting problems with body image and self-esteem, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that of 455 college women with poor body image, more than 80 percent said their parents or siblings had made negative comments about their bodies during childhood.

40% of Weight-Loss Surgery Patients Develop Complications - SUNDAY, July 23 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of people opt for surgery as a way to lose weight, but four in 10 develop complications within six months after surgery, according to a new U.S. government report.

On Changing Attitudes Toward Large Patients - This is a must read article for parents and kids alike - especially teens. Pat Lyons, a nurse and co-author of Great Shape: The First Fitness Guide for Large Women, is a very smart woman. 

"My mission is to save lives that are being destroyed by negative feelings about women’s bodies. I grew up sad and depressed about being fat and the world judging me only by my body size. I lost many good years of my life to those feelings, and it wasn’t until my early 30s that I was finally able to start recovering."

Child obesity fears 'over-hyped' - The Social Issues Research Council, which is funded by food companies as well as the government, said average child weights have only risen slightly.

What's The Matter With (Ar)Kansas? - This is an excellent example of how the good intentions a celebrity can have a negative impact on policy. "Last week, former President Clinton appeared on CNN to discuss what he called a major health crisis involving children and food. Was Clinton addressing the situation in Niger, where perhaps three million people, including 800,000 children, are in serious danger of starving to death? No: Clinton was referring to his home state of Arkansas, where according to the former president 38% of the state's children are either overweight or at risk of becoming so."