I don't see how these ads are supposed to help.  Many parents don't even recognize if their children are overweight.  Even if they do realize it, it doesn't mean they are neccessarily able to know how to induce lifestyle changes that are needed.  Using terms such as fat, big or chubby instead of overweight or obese IMO distances the issue from a medical one and leads it more to a bullying one.

Overweight children are not usually the ones buying the food and planning the menus in the house. They are also usually dependent on adults-to some extent-for exercise.

It's really a family-not an individual child-problem.

It's multi-facorial and really needs tackled in many ways at the same time.

The marketing campaign should be launched at those responsible for the situation....

oops, lets see if this fixes the image

i would agree, however that hasn't worked.  'super size me' was required viewing at the school my kids go to, but it only seemed to make them crave a big mac.

like i said, as much as these ads make my eyes bug out of my head, it may just be that is what is needed at this point....

It's a culture thing. I think to some extent has to do with parents being over-protective of their kids.  When I was little, and even more so when my parents were kids, children would be bundled into whatever clothing was appropriate for the season and booted out the door to play outside for hours after chores and there was no coming back in until they were called in for supper.  There were no computer games or x-boxes or i-pads and if families had TV it's use was limited.  And they had to do chroes too, physical things like sweeping and mopping floors, hnaging laundry on the line, raking or mowing the lawn... all things that burn calories.  Now, for the most part, parents won't let their kids be outside with out being supervised every instant for fear the kids will get hurt or kidnapped. 

I don't kow what I think of those adds, I don't know if they will be any more effective than the scare adds on cigarette packs.  In a way i think the fact that they are moving to using that kind of add on and featuring children goes to show just how desperate the obesity epedemic is.  And maybe will go to help focus people on the fact that this is as real a medical war on a disease as the war on cancer.  Too many people think fat kids are lazy or stupid (or both) and don't look at factors like paren't life style or parents ability to make good food choice or if a parent even knows how to cook ameal beyond making toast or microwaving a tin of soup.  Becasue as has been mentioned ost kids do not buy the groceries or cook the meals.

when i watch tv now, i'm stunned by how much the families in sit-coms eat 'take out food'. 

we got a few seasons of 'big bang theory' on dvd for christmas, and they ALWAYS eat take out. 

is this really how people live now??  they can't actually cook their own meals anymore??

I agree childhood obesity is a problem, and sets a lifelong lifestyle. Ever hear of a fat kid who became a thin adult? It saddens me whenever I see a fat kid hanging out of their bathing suit or t-shirt, struggling to keep up with other kids, sitting with huge parents in a fast food place. It also bothers me that we are urged to accept obese people as they are, as if nature made them that way. I think there is a lot of acceptance going on, and fatter characters are showing up on tv and in pop music.

I once saw a "joke" on a craft at a craft fair that read, "Dear god, if you won't make me skinny, will you at least make my friends fat?" That made me mad. My childhood best friend was fat, so I know how she felt, and how she made me feel.

I think maybe the ads should be placed in adult places, like Chatelaine... or Today's Parent ...I don't know. But I think something in the culture needs to change to correct this. When we watch Dukes of Hazzard, the attitude toward Boss Hog is very different from what would be accepted nowadays.

You know what's even sadder? The percentages of obese native people and their kids.

I think for young children it is the parents responsibilty to buy food, prepare it and serve it.   If the child is hungry give them a piece of fruit or a carrot stick.  Tell them to get a drink of water and wait 20 minutes for supper.  Limit the number of cookies or the serving size of icecream.  Teach and educate kids on healthy foods (not mentioning weight).  Make fast food a rare treat rather than a regular thing -and even then try to make wise choices.  

I think it is also the responsiblity of the medical profession.  I've heard that if a child comes in for a check-up and is very much underweight the parents are spoken to, made aware of the problem, etc.  but nothing is said about an overweight child.   Doctors, nurses and public health workers should know more about nutrition and pass the word along to the parents.  

By the time the child is in middle school, and certainly in high school, much of the onus falls on them, but if they have been taught healthy diet and proper serving size, and if high calory foods are not kept in the house, then they should be able to make the necessary choices. 

Throughout life, I would emphasize healthy eating habits rather than diet - healthy energetic body rather than weight.  

Encourage drinking water - without sweeteners or flavouring.  Don't buy pop.  Don't encourage chocolate milk.  And limit the amount of juice they drink.  

And keep active.

I think these ads are great and that they're not offensive. They're not rude, they seem to just be presenting fact. Hey, if it leads parents to feed their kids better, I have no problem with that.

It's not always obese kids who become obese adults though. I'm a big guy now myself (not the biggest, but I do weigh in at 216). I used to be real skinny til put on epilepsy medicine, one of the side effects being that it makes me HUNGRY.

It is not so much a cultural thing as marketing a culture.  We have created a society that wants more for less.  That "supersize" mentality was not just about the quantity of food but the price paid.  The advertising seeped into our minds until large portions became the norm because they were considered valuable.

The growing obesity problem reflects our ever expanding consumer society.  We stuff not just our bodies with junk but our homes as well.  We have become insatiable creatures gorging on the planet and devouring everything in our wake.

We don't even see what our demands have created.  We want, or so we believe, cheap, fast food and the industry has responded by pumping those foods full of preservatives like salt, sugar and additives that all contribute to the silent growth of fat.

Here is an interesting article to chew on ...

Study: Brain injury from high-fat foods may be why diets fail

After humans and rodents eat a high-fat diet, their brains begin to show evidence of injuries in just 24 hours. If they keep eating that yummy fatty stuff continuously, the area of their brains that regulates weight — the hypothalamus — will show evidence of serious inflammation and structural damage.

And then consider this ....

Harper must demand action on sodium levels, health groups urge

For instance, while the federal government says it supports the broad goal of reducing the average daily sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams by 2016, it backed away from a plan to create reduction targets that would have required companies to lower the amount of sodium in their products.

An official from Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s office has said the approach of adopting reduction targets is too heavy-handed and there are other ways to accomplish the goals.

But experts say that the government seems to have cowed to the interests of food companies and that without the key reduction initiative, there is no way average sodium intake in Canada will decline substantially.

“For this approach to be successful, we need to have targets, firm targets established for different categories of food,” said Kevin Willis, director of partnerships at the Canadian Stroke Network. “It certainly gives the impression the federal government is perhaps putting interests of the food industry before the health of the population.”

So again, I say, the ad campaign should be targeted to those responsible for creating the culture of consumption and not the unwitting victims.

The Church says: the body is a sin.
Science says: the body is a machine.
Advertising says: The body is a business.
The Body says: I am a fiesta.”
        Eduardo Hughes Galeano

And the combination of fat, salt and sugar has been shown to be addictive, or an addictive habitual way of eating. Well said LB.

We just finished a book called Brandwashed that was pretty informative about all the nasty things they do to sell to us and create the culture of voracious consumerism that we have, all made possible by our human weaknesses and instincts.

I have another question, its been a long time since I was in school ....

Do they still teach Home Economics - or its equivalent modern name?

The reason I ask is because I was taught how to prepare food both at home and at school.  Now I confess I loved Home Ec because it was the one class I could skip 95 percent of the time and still get 90% on the exams but that is another story; in the process I was taught how to prepare raw foods.

If young people - and note I said people that includes young males - are not taught, not just about nutrition but preparation, they will be ill equipped to deal with creating food habits and skills to combat obesity.

There is a second industry out there that markets a dangerous food culture as well:  The diet industry.  With few exceptions, that industry tells its consumers that losing and maintaining weight is "easy". 'Here, drink this shake, chew on this bar, eat my prepackaged meals, or pop these pills and you will become the next supermodel'.  Weight maintenance does not work on those schemes and are guaranteed to send the person on a endless weight roller coaster ride that will predictably crash.

So between the multi-billion dollar food industry and the multi-billion dollar weight loss industry, the average individual is bombarded with erroneous messages and information that will damn them one way or another... and I haven't even started on the fashion industry.

So yeah, a campaign targeted at bunch of ill informed children is a brilliant strategy to keep the status quo.

I realize it has become too easy to find a diet to fit in with whatever you happen to feel like eating and that diets are not there to be picked and mixed but picked and stuck to, which is exactly what I shall begin to do once I've eaten this chocolate croissant.
         Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary
 

Well, we had foods class in 1989/90... but that was a long time ago... Everyone had to choose either foods or sewing, and either woodwork or metalwork. So I did all of the above over the two semesters. Most guys just took foods. I liked foods class, and learned usefull stuff there I still use today. That was one class I didn't want to skip. Also got to cook with one very cute guy, who became my boyfriend!! Yum! Except after he'd had the raw Greek salad...

In my school we had the choice of foods/sewing (sewing in one term, cooking in the other) or shop (mainly automotive, some woodworking).  It was only girls in the first class and one girl and all the boys in the second.

When I was in university there was a girl in my dorm who, and I mean this quite literally, did not know how to make toast or boil an egg.  She was actually scared to put a pot of water on the stove to boil or try to chop vegetables for fear she hurt herself or wreck something because no one had ever taught her how to do the most basic cooking tasks.

When I see an old picture, for example, of a threshing crew gathered for lunch in the 1920's, I see a group of healthy looking men.

The 2011 harvest picture of farmers getting off their modern equipment would make me gasp at the amount of weight the men have put on.

It would be interesting for me to view some pictures of for example the high school graduating classes spaced every ten years from say 1920 to 2010 with the kids in full view so as to show how heavy they appear.

Right on Naman.   I remember at age 12 or 13 feeling 'fat' at 125 lbs, because I was one of those kids who put on a bit of pre-puberty fat.  Pictures of me a few years later I had slimmed down - not slim (I don't have that build) but not 'fat'.  

My granddaughter would have had to lose 10 or 15 lbs to be 125, and she fitted right in with most of her friends.  

Pity.

wow, triple wow.

there is a lot of really cruel stuff here.

people  blaming parents for fat children

people being blamed for their weight.

I get that some weight is due to choices, but based on what people write above, it is simple.  edit -:  I can tell you that it is far from simple.

I can give you examples of families where there were three children.  All with healthy food.  All with healthy active lifestyles and the middle child was "fat".  In fact, she became obese   

They ate the same food, and were equally active.   

I was skinny as a child.  I could eat anything and do anything.  I was lucky to have a metabolism that fired well.  My husband and youngest son have a metabolism that fires insanely well, to the point where they are very underweight. 

Edit:   I had an illness which messed up my metabolism.  I aged. I had kids, lots of variables.  I am now obese.  Some is related to my choices, some is not. Some is a combination..ie, i wouldn't have to work so much if I had my old metabolism.

It is not helpful to be so blaming of parents and kids for obesity.  Yes, there are choices, but it is not as simple as would appear from a quick glimpse of this thread.

Home Economics in High School?

Now that takes me back to the 1960's............

In those far off days in the bush school I attended (300 pupils) you had a choice between doing General Maths and Home Science or Maths1 and Math 2.

It was mainly a sexist thingie - if you were male you were expected to understand the intricacies of maths - and  go on to university.

If you were female you were expected to be baffled by simultaneous equations and know how to cook - so that you would make a good farmer's wife...........

As with many things in life, I was just passable when it came to the practical - ie. cooking edible meals - but I excelled at the theory.

I just loved the Nutrition component - and my eager young mind gobbled up knowledge of vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbohydrates..............

(I think I might have mentioned previously how, for the Leaving Certificate, I had to imagine I was married to a Canadian lumberjack and plan the poor man's diet for a day - taking into account his nutritional requirements. I got excellent marks - so was somewhat surprised that on my two visits to Canada I wasn't inundated with marriage offers from Canadian lumberjacks).

But, I now think learning Home Science was valuable.

Nutrition has always been important to me - and, unlike many widows and those that live on their own, I still cook myself nutritious and well-balanced meals.

I'm gobsmacked by the sheer number of obese children I see. Many parents seem to get more upset by other adults attempting to discipline their children than they do about feeding their own kids junk.........

(Geez, I'm sounding old).........

Pilgrim - as I remember it you took the train from Montreal to Halifax.  Our lumberjacks don't live in the cities.  You could have gotten off the train in Cambellton, or Bathurst, or Miramichi and hired someone to drive you into a logging camp.  Maybe you could have gotten a job as cookie at the Deersdale mill on the road to Juniper.  Then you would have had lumberjacks lining up for your delicious, nutritious cooking and your beautiful feminine smile.

Whenever I go to see a movie I always like to get a snack to fit the film. When I went to see Supersize Me at a cinema in downtown Toronto natch I dropped in to a local MickeyD's for a Big Mac combo.

@ seeler,

(Note how I've picked up on yet another internet thingie - @.....)

There are many and diverse reasons for weight gain. They may be things we never considered. Yes, some has to do with inactivity and food choices...

There ARE other problems.

Some is medication. MorningCalm mentioned epilepsy medication. Antipsychotic drugs cause rapid weight gain, changes in metabolism and can trigger hypertension and diabetes. This goes back to 2009 and the Journal of American Medical Association. Read how fast and dramatic the weight gain. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/business/28psych.html

Better to blame the parents than big business.

How many kids are being diagnosed or misdiagnosed? Let's just look at bipolar and let's look at what the folks at Psychology Today say

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201106/misdiagnosed-bipolar-disorder-is-all-the-rage

Easier to blame mom and dad or what they are eating, though.

thanks SG

Of course you are right Pinga.  There are a lot of things that affect weight.  Some are physical, some are probably genetic, some probably have a basis in past experience (ie  someone who experienced severe want may subconsciously overeat in case there is nothing available tomorrow).    I struggle with my weight.   I suspect that part of it is genetic - my paternal grandmother was obese,  my father was heavy (army records from the war years describe him as 'fat' - pictures taken then indicate that they were right), both my sisters are over-weight - one obese.   Food was scarce when I was young.  We were taught to 'clean your plate'.   Then pregnancies and severe illness, and medication messed up my system.  I went through a period when I was so thin that my doctors considered putting me on insulin to build up my appetite.  My health improved.  We could afford better and more apetizing food.  I gained enough to be 'normal weight for my height and age'.   Then I got older, different medical problems, different medication, probably slower metabolism,and less exercise - stress.   And I gained weight. 

But it seems to me - and I tried it and lost weight and kept it off for several years - that a good balanced diet of vegetables, fibre, protein, and complex carbs (whole grains), along with attention paid to serving size - and treats kept to a minimum, will go a long way in maintaining a healthy weight.  That is together with a moderately active lifestyle.  

It also seems to me that parents who do the shopping, cook and serve the meals, make the lunches, pass out the snacks and encourage their kids to lead an active outdoor lifestyle (walk or ride your bike instead of expecting to be driven - play a sport - walk the dog), have at least some responsibility in helping their kids develop healthy habits.  

And stress - healthy life style - not weight loss diet.  

Pinga, I disagree with you about the above posters.  I agree that there are many contributing factors, but I don't think people are posting as 'simple choices'.  I see various people posting about various problems.

To me, it is the ads that appear simple.  They point out the problem, but don't do anything to help other than listing a website in small text (and difficult to read in some of the colours they chose).

Pinga,

I owe you an apology - I'm sorry regarding my thoughtless comment concerning obesity.

(I confess I didn't get around to reading your post - I got carried away and went for a trip down memory lane when LB mentioned Home Economics.)

You are correct, of course, there are many, many medical and genetic reasons for obesity - it's not at all a case of just eating too many big Macs etc...........

I recall meeting a child who would be considered 'morbidly obese'.  A year earlier she had been of normal size.  Problem - juvenile arthritis limiting desire to be active+the prescribed medication.

Of course, people seeing her at school or the mall would not have this information and she got teased - anyone remember the taunt -

Fatty, fatty, two by four

Couldn't get through the bathroom door?

I have watched myself and several freinds and neighbors putting on weight - no simple, single solution.  For some it was one or more diseases limiting exercise, for some it was medication related, for some it was poverty causing less helpful food choices and dropping attendance at the pool, for at least one it was situational depression.  Canada's long and cold winter with ice on the sidewalks doesn't help. 

Some good suggestions from nutritionists might help.  I'm tired of hearing and reading "Families can eat healthy meals even if there income is from Social Services Income Supplement".  I have asked for an affordable menu for a month several times and received no response. 

Some good suggestions from physical therapists might help.  What truly practical things can a person do that isn't mind numbingly boring and done in the isolation of there home?  Living with minor problems can bring major difficulties - failing vision, no car, arthritis, balance problems, breathing problems (-20 or high winds are very challenging for asthmatics), osteoarthitis and many other things do actually exist in ordinary peoples lives.  Some people live with several of these problems.  When they were younger and healthy they maybe drove to the cross country ski trails - swam at the pool - went for long walks - played badminton - rode a bike - but there reality now is that none of these activities are safe for them.

I don't see much going on beyond the finger pointing.

I am one of four and the only sibling that seems to gain weight.  But I know it is from getting "lost" in poor eating habits.  I get centered and then eventually get back to chips and chocolate.

I have three nieces from the same family.  Two are very athletic and slim, one is morbidly obese.  She played sports but chose sedentary positions, like goalie in soccer.

she has terrible eating habits and it a big junk food eater.

Sadly my sister in law, when this girl was young would not keep junk out of the house.  There were some mental health issues she had and this child suffered because of it.

She works at it and really needs to spend the money and time to get her weight down.  not sure if she will though.

I didn't think there was an issue with the ads.  I doubt they will work.  Obesity is not a simple issue but every bit hopefully helps someone.

Kay - I remember the rhyme, and others, and taunts about weight.   I remember my sister telling me that "you will be just like Grammie -----"  my paternal grandmother who was obese.  

There was no excuse for that type of cruelty then.  There is no excuse for it now.  Taunting, teasing, making fun of people are never excusable.   Even comments like 'just how much do you weigh?'   or 'you must have a hard time finding clothes that will fit you' can be hurtful.

And we don't know the whole story - illness, medication, etc.   Different body types - yes, some people do have bigger bones, some girls develop big breasts, tall people can carry more weight without showing it.   What is right for me is not right for my tall, slender, fine boned friend.   In fact before I looked as slim as she does, I'd be anerexic.  I was skinny but never slim. 

But still, if a young child were living in my home and showed a tendence to put on weight (that was not a medical problem - in which case I would be talking to the doctor and/or nutritionist) I would make sure that I didn't have chocolates, cakes, cookies, pop, sweetened drinks, fries, high calory processed foods in the house at all.  I would serve balanced meals.  I would measure out the gravy or sauce, pre-butter the toast (if butter were necessary).  I would serve the icecream, or pass out the oatmeal cookies.  I would have fresh cold water available at all times, and I would encourage active play, and walking to and from school, friend's houses, and other activities.    At least that would be what I would aim for.  

Makes sense to me Seeler - we slimmed down a child without any of our kids realising that a diet was going on!  Only one child was getting too chubby so we quietly changed the family diet without saying a word to the kids.  Exercise was happening so that wasnt an issue.

Some kids have parents who don't care enough to make the effort to change the number of calories consumed by the kids.  Some parents just don't have the knowledge to change things around.  My child went to school with another one who was getting too chubby.  We changed so that our child rarely got candy, pop, fast food etc - the other child ate these items several times a day.  My child is now a regular sized adult the other is huge and has multiple health problems. 

I can't think of an easy answer.

Thanks folks...this is helpful.

Pilgrim's Progress:  No need for apology, far from it.  You are one of the most sensitive folks that I know. 

Don't get me wrong, i hold myself accountable for my own weight...as I said, it isn't simple.  Seeler, kaythecurler also shared some of those complex pieces.

I think we as a society go to the simple cause, and some of that occurred on this thread:  .it is the parents who are not feeding them healthy or making them active enough.  it is the kids/adults who are lazy and not exercising enough.

I wonder about meat that is available inexpensively being that which has had a lot of growth hormones to ensure the industrial cattle put on max weight  http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsusedforfood/f/AntibioticsrGBH.htm

.  I wonder about minimum wages that aren't high enough to allow for healthy food and rent and clothes. http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/

So, back to the "fat kids" ads.

Are they helpful?  Do they oversimplify? Do they make kids targets?    Are there better ways?