Don’t tell me my kid is fat!
A study recently published in the journal Pediatric Obesity has found that when parents go to the doctor, they don't like the doctor to tell them that their little angel is "fat, chubby, overweight or obese." Instead, they prefer it if doctors use non-medical euphemisms such as, "Your kid is large," or "Your kid is gaining too much weight." And the problem is that if the parents feel offended, they often stop listening to the doctor altogether, which results in their large child growing even larger. Link: eurekalert
Comments
Makes sense. Lots of doctors could do with a remedial course in Bedside Manner.
Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 08/01/12 at 09:00 AM
Agreed, and lots of parents could do with a remedial course in Pull Your Head Out of the Sand.
Posted by ScoutC on 08/01/12 at 10:09 AM
I don't think "sand" is the correct noun...
Posted by TheCannyScot in Atlanta, GA on 08/01/12 at 10:37 AM
No one wants to be told "you are a bad parent / your kid eats bad food"
It's shocking how expensive it is to eat healthy food. Fruits and veggies cost far more than the $1.00 soda -- any size current at McDonald's.
A lot of adults don't understand that you should NOT have 7 Big Gulps a day just because they taste good.
I think Americans need better education about nutrition. Most people here on WU seem educated and intelligent. But America itself seems to get dumber and fatter by the day. Jersey Shore is on MTV because people actually watch it. Those Kardashians are rich because people watch them.
Not everyone needs to read Edna Ferber, watch Frank Capra films, and enjoy classical music. Most parents are good people who want to do the right thing. Money is tight for many people. Cheap food tends to be bad for you. And kids don't care if it's good for you, they just want it to taste good.
It's shocking how expensive it is to eat healthy food. Fruits and veggies cost far more than the $1.00 soda -- any size current at McDonald's.
A lot of adults don't understand that you should NOT have 7 Big Gulps a day just because they taste good.
I think Americans need better education about nutrition. Most people here on WU seem educated and intelligent. But America itself seems to get dumber and fatter by the day. Jersey Shore is on MTV because people actually watch it. Those Kardashians are rich because people watch them.
Not everyone needs to read Edna Ferber, watch Frank Capra films, and enjoy classical music. Most parents are good people who want to do the right thing. Money is tight for many people. Cheap food tends to be bad for you. And kids don't care if it's good for you, they just want it to taste good.
Posted by girlgeniusNYC on 08/01/12 at 11:37 AM
ggNYC - The 1951 novella "The Marching Morons" by Cyril M. Kornbluth is based on the general dumbing down of the population on average in the future. The future is NOW. It can be found in his Best of C M Kornbluth book.
Posted by BMN on 08/01/12 at 12:31 PM
It's part of the whole "my child is a special snowflake" culture rampant these days. No one's bad, no one's wrong, they're all special in their own special way - and if they're fat, or failing at school, or robbing banks, it's because they're "glandular" or "misunderstood" or have ADHD.
Posted by Robert on 08/01/12 at 01:17 PM
@ScoutC: I have to agree with Scottie, "sand" isn't the right word.
If the doctor is can't speak plainly to a problem because the parents won't accept the advice then the fault is with the parents. So be it.
I knew it was time to get out of the money lending game when one client, while filling out the load request, asked what a spouse was. (He pronounced it "spoose" as in moose.)
The instruction manual for the world's most powerful tank is a "graphic novel" written to 6th grade level.
If the doctor is can't speak plainly to a problem because the parents won't accept the advice then the fault is with the parents. So be it.
I knew it was time to get out of the money lending game when one client, while filling out the load request, asked what a spouse was. (He pronounced it "spoose" as in moose.)
The instruction manual for the world's most powerful tank is a "graphic novel" written to 6th grade level.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/01/12 at 11:54 PM
BMN: Thank you! I will look into "Marching Morons".
Ah yes. "Democracy is just a dictatorship of the majority" as a friend said...
Thank God for WU!
Ah yes. "Democracy is just a dictatorship of the majority" as a friend said...
Thank God for WU!
Posted by girlgeniusNYC on 08/02/12 at 01:36 AM
http://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/23657356?width=369
Having trouble getting the pages to scroll on my phone. Will try on a real computer. This should be a link to the story...
Having trouble getting the pages to scroll on my phone. Will try on a real computer. This should be a link to the story...
Posted by girlgeniusNYC on 08/02/12 at 01:51 AM
ggNYC - I hope you like the story. I would love to make a movie based on it. If movie critics pan it ... They are ipso facto morons 😉
Posted by BMN on 08/03/12 at 06:08 AM
BMN -- the story was good and I enjoyed it. Extremely well-written. I think the basic premise is flawed for 2 reasons....
1. Most people who have lots of kids did not intend to. They just like having sex. Immediate gratification, for some people, outweighs any and all potential consequences.
2. Although unheard of at the time the story was written, it would be fairly easy to add "birth control pills" to soda, tea, or drinking water. Special marketing would ensure that only women drink it -- pink bottles, some sort of pro-feminist name, etc etc
When you are ready to move forward with your film, let me know. My time in LA has been productive.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
1. Most people who have lots of kids did not intend to. They just like having sex. Immediate gratification, for some people, outweighs any and all potential consequences.
2. Although unheard of at the time the story was written, it would be fairly easy to add "birth control pills" to soda, tea, or drinking water. Special marketing would ensure that only women drink it -- pink bottles, some sort of pro-feminist name, etc etc
When you are ready to move forward with your film, let me know. My time in LA has been productive.
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Posted by girlgeniusNYC on 08/04/12 at 02:23 AM
Just for context, I have a child who has eaten only organic food and no junk food. We do not eat cane sugar nor corn syrup. He started gaining large amounts of weight while not eating any abnormal amount of calories. He has a hard-to-manage endocrine issue. It is hard for him - he is severely overweight, though he exercises 1 hour per day and eats lean meats and lots of fruit and veggies and good, healthy fats such as fish, avocados, and nuts. Please all of you withhold your catty judgements against overweight kids and their parents - you really have no idea what is going on with anyone else's biology.
Also, a large amount of doctors have no actual education in nutrition nor behavior modification. They are educated about pharmaceuticals since the big pharma companies fund medical school curriculum. Wellness coaching for behavioral change is one of the few things that can actually help re-set people's relationship with food. There are many complex biochemical mechanisms in the body, and weight is not just a matter of "willpower."
So please help get everyone you know educated about actual nutrition and biochemistry, and also help make veggies and lean protein affordable to everyone.
Also, a large amount of doctors have no actual education in nutrition nor behavior modification. They are educated about pharmaceuticals since the big pharma companies fund medical school curriculum. Wellness coaching for behavioral change is one of the few things that can actually help re-set people's relationship with food. There are many complex biochemical mechanisms in the body, and weight is not just a matter of "willpower."
So please help get everyone you know educated about actual nutrition and biochemistry, and also help make veggies and lean protein affordable to everyone.
Posted by mom on 08/07/12 at 04:50 AM
Well, Mom, I'm almost 99.999% certain that 99.999% of the fat kids don't have some biological condition that attributes to their weight gain.
I'm also 99.999% certain that "organic" foods aren't any healthier than any of the other varieties.
I'm also 99.999% certain that you can't gain weight from breathing air, there has to be some physical mass being injected into the equation. (I've visited Seattle and, I have to admit that the air is kind'a "thick" most of the time but still....)
So, we commiserate with your particular plight and wish you the best.
I'm also 99.999% certain that "organic" foods aren't any healthier than any of the other varieties.
I'm also 99.999% certain that you can't gain weight from breathing air, there has to be some physical mass being injected into the equation. (I've visited Seattle and, I have to admit that the air is kind'a "thick" most of the time but still....)
So, we commiserate with your particular plight and wish you the best.
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 08/07/12 at 05:02 AM
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Category: Medicine | Children | Parents | Eating