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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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From a dinner table to the blood results
- Hatice Selin Buller (12 August 2008)
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Obestity is a Social Problem
- William E. Osmun (19 October 2008)
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Editing and proofreading - lost arts ?
- Alexander SD Spiers (22 October 2008)
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Hatice Selin Buller, trust grade doctor not specified
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As we all know, obesity is a serious health problem which stresses on the body's organs and is associated with high blood pressure, joint problems, indigestion and so on. Obese individuals suffer more severely from diseases such as degenerative diseases of the heart and arteries which lead them to have shorter life expectancy. Many cases of obesity might have a purely physiological cause. In some other cases, however, obesity can be associated with several psychological causes. People may eat compulsively to overcome their fears, defeat or social maladjustment, express their anger, or avoid intimate relationships. For that reason, other than abnormal lipid profiles or genetic predisposition, underlying family dynamics should also be emphasized in successful intervention of childhood and adolescent obesity. The correlation between how parents manage what their children eat and their overall approach to parenting i.e. being authoritative or permissive can have an important role in dealing with this problem in this age group. As a result, working with families and their participation is essential. Parents’ approaches to raising their children are reflected in their behaviour at the dinner table and hence the blood results of their children. Competing interests: None declared |
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William E. Osmun, Associate Professor, Family Medicine University of Western Ontario
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Childhood obesity is a social problem, not a medical problem. Undoubtedly big pharma is salivating at the opportunity to stick all the children in America on cholesterol medication and not doubt their medical lackeys are looking forward to big speaker fees promoting more medication for more children. What we need is social change. We need more exercise in schools, better food in schools, more education and taxes on junk food. We need more spaces for kids to play and more organized activites. We need noncompetitive activites for the uncoordinated. Most of all, we need parents to assume responsibility for their children's diet and activities. Competing interests: None declared |
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Alexander SD Spiers, Professor of Medicine (retired). N/A.
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Professor Baur's editorial on tackling obesity in children and adolescents is informative and her recommendations are constructive and valuable. It is unfortunate that the text seems not to have been subjected to editing or proofreading. "chronic disease such as asthma, type I diabetes, or a chronic mental health ilness." Surely "mental health illness" is an oxymoron. What is wrong with "chronic mental illness" ? "The past decade has seen an explosion in national, regional, and international plans for preventing obesity and policy documents." It seems unlikely that there are plans for preventing policy documents, although in some instances that might be a good idea. Presumably "and policy documents" should come after "international plans" and before "for preventing". English is a beautiful language and deserves better treatment. Competing interests: None declared |
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