Ad Campaign Against Childhood Obesity Courts Controversy

An ad campaign created by an Atlanta-based health organization has created some controversy after featuring obese children in a childhood obesity advertisement. Georgia has the second highest childhood obesity rate in the United States and Atlanta based Children’s Healthcare came up with the controversial ad campaign in order to draw attention to the serious problem of childhood obesity in the state.

The ad campaign features a number of obese children and is accompanied by taglines such as “My fat may be funny to you but it is killing me” or “Fat prevention begins at home and at the buffet line”.

While the ad campaign has caught attention of viewers, many experts are critical of the decision to use obese kids since it may lead to obese people feeling worse about themselves.

Says Rebecca Puhl, who is a psychologist at Yale University, “Stigma is not an effective motivator. Whether children or adults, if they are teased or stigmatized, they're much more likely to engage in unhealthy eating and avoidance of physical activity. We need to be sure we are fighting obesity, not obese people.”



Source-Medindia