Should we blame parents for overweight children?

There is no denying it: overweight and obesity in children (and adults) have reached all-time highs in the country. And with Newfoundland and Labrador apparently leading the race for the “fattest province,” we all have reason to be concerned.

But when we complain about the number of fat kids in the neighbourhood, or blame parents for raising overweight children, do we become part of the problem?

The answer is a resounding yes!

Research shows that the prevalent culture of fat shaming and weight discrimination has become a key factor driving weight gain in most communities.

Fat shaming (or stigma) is what overweight people feel and hear when we roll our eyes and pass implicit or explicit judgements about their body, in public and private spaces.

Even in the media and other public discourse, fat people are often characterized as lazy, unintelligent, weak-willed or lacking in self-control.

Weight discrimination is the unfair treatment that people experience in their everyday interactions because of their body size. Examples we can all relate to include being ignored, teased or bullied.

But there are also structural constraints like chairs that don’t fit, difficulty finding the right size of pants, or fewer training and job opportunities.

Research now tells us what all of us already knew but chose to ignore: the culture of stigma and discrimination directly leads to weight retention and further weight gain.

A study that followed over 6,000 Americans over a fouryear period found that, compared to people who did not suffer weight discrimination, people who experienced weight discrimination but were not obese at beginning of the study, were 2.5 times more likely to become obese.

Those who were obese at beginning of the study and suffered weight discrimination where three times more likely to remain obese after four years.

Such evidence questions our popular assumptions that people are inherently responsible for being overweight, that parents should better control the weight of their children or that we could fat shame people into working harder to lose weight.

So, fat shaming doesn’t encourage more physical activity, it’s more likely to achieve the exact opposite.

Stigma worsens physical and emotional stress. It usually leads to binge eating or other eating disorders and may cause people to isolate and avoid accessing health-care services.

However, we have a created a culture where someone must be blamed for every perceived wrong, and fat children have become the most visible markers of parental responsibility.

Parents with obese children suffer a dual moral burden. They are blamed for raising a fat child. Yet current evidence shows that parents who focus heavily on weight loss could increase the risk of low self-esteem and eating disorders in their children.

It would seem reasonable of the general public to be more empathetic of the complex and difficult challenges of parenting an obese child.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research (NLCAHR), in reviewing prevention and treatment programs for childhood obesity, acknowledged that N.L. has a broad and deep range of “obesity promoting” customs and environment.

Perhaps more informed public discussions about the many complex factors that contribute to the risk of obesity in the general population, and specifically in children, will help foster a better appreciation of the peculiar challenge posed by obesity in children.

NLCAHR concluded that available evidence doesn’t support the overall effectiveness of most programs for preventing obesity in children, especially within the N.L. context. I don’t claim to have the answers, either.

However, they found that improving physical activity levels, reducing sedentary behaviours — especially screen time — and programs that teach children to maintain positive behaviours, all contribute to weight loss in children.

Additionally, the Dietitians of Newfoundland and Labrador (DNL) action group is recommending that the government improve access to nutrition services provided by dietitians and promote food security for poor and vulnerable families in the province as measures to reduce excessive weight in children.

These are positive measures that should help curb the rising trend of obesity in children.

Perhaps, a little less judgment and shaming and a little more empathy and support from us all is the final ingredient required for a collective effort towards reducing childhood obesity in N.L.