Because Nothing Should Weigh a Child Down

fight against obesity

Live Light Live Right Blog article response to Aubry Gordon’s opinion article “Leave Fat Kids Alone”

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Written by: Stephanie Chan; BS in Neural Science, MPH candidate Suny Downstate school of public Health

Aubry Gordon’s opinion article “Leave Fat Kids Alone” (New York Times, 2020) presents the impact of words on a child’s body image and mental health when it comes to weight. The overarching theme of the article is that while it is important to help children maintain a healthy weight that does not mean saying whatever comes to mind without thought of how it will impact the child. This blog article will respond to and expand on the points raised by Gordon, with the ideas reflecting those of Dr. Sarita Dhuper here at Live Light Live Right.
To read the full article click here.

Parents Are Key in the Fight Against Obesity

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Parents play an important role in the fight against obesity. They shape their children’s behavior by direct influence, predisposing psychological variables or by controlling the child’s environment. In the fight against obesity, it is key that parents are involved.

Obesity rates have tripled in the past few decades and childhood obesity is global epidemic. In our practice, we see the effects the epidemic is having on children living in the city’s poorest neighborhoods like like Brownsville, East Flatbush and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Two out of every three children are overweight here, nearly three times the national average. The higher rates are caused by a combination of genetics and an environment where too many calories are consumed, children do not have enough opportunities to exercise and sedentary behavior is commonplace. Continue reading →