Messages about Obesity - Assignment Example

Q1. Ellen Satter, I believe, hit the nail on the head when she said that a lot of negative stereotypes go with the term “obese” and, therefore, it would be in the interest of the children struggling with weight problems not to be termed so. Moreover, she has very aptly put forward that the children should not be deprived of food, merely because the parents feel anxious about their children’s obesity/weight problem. If the parents decide that it is up to them to make decisions regarding what food shall be given to their children and when, and let their children decide the amount of food they eat as well as if they are hungry or not, obesity in children can be reduced greatly. The parents, with their experience and knowledge, will mostly make sound and good judgments about their children’s diet. However, I also believe that Ellen Satter should have urged Michelle Obama to help the impoverished families in obtaining the wherewithal and knowledge regarding healthy and balanced diets, and not just talk about the privileged or middle class families who have the capacity to include fruits and vegetables and other healthy, yet comparatively more expensive, food choices in their children’s diet. Q2. (a) I believe the concerns that have prompted organizations like “Concerned Children’s Advertisers” are very legitimate and real. We live in a society where most of the children are constantly bombarded by advertisements in various media; whether it is television programming, magazines for children or websites, children are always surrounded by various advertisements. It is our role, as a society, to make sure that our children have the knowledge and information to deal with these advertisements. If the children are not media literate, then a lot of the advertisements they see are taken by them at face value, and, consequently, as their minds are young and naïve, be influenced greatly by them. It is not enough to lay the blame on the advertisers, and it is naïve to expect them to change their policies regarding their advertisements that are aimed at children specifically. In consequence, it is actually very wise and prudent to take up the cause of educating the children, so that they themselves can discern the various nuances of the advertisement and make informed choices based on them. (b) After reading Advertising and Obesity: A Behavioral Perspective, I cannot help but agree with the assertion that it is not advertising alone that is to be blamed for obesity. Not only can advertising have minimal to no effect on our behavior modification, but there is a great need for us to change our own environment to be able to avoid obesity and have a healthier lifestyle. I do not hold that advertising is not to be blamed at all for obesity, especially in children, however, I hold that it is much more important for us to create an environment where healthy eating is not only possible, but is encouraged and approved. In advertisements, there is a reinforcement factor or the overall effect of social approval and acceptance of a certain food choice and not much else, however, there is always the danger, I feel, of excessive consumption of unhealthy food. Healthy eating initiatives by the advertising agencies clearly show that they actually do believe that their advertisements have an effect on the behavior of the consumers. Nonetheless, I believe strongly that if we were to change the overall “diet” environment, and gave healthier options to the children as well as reinforced their healthy food choices by some sort of reward, obesity can be controlled. (c) Messages about Obesity – Making them Stick sets out a good guideline for how to impart more information about healthy eating. I find this really surprising that though a lot of people are aware of the bad results of their unhealthy choices, yet a lot of effort is needed to persuade them to change their behavior or adopt a new one with regard thereto. I have a cousin who is medically obese; however, he refuses to change his eating habits, or even to modify them. He also seems uninterested in adopting a healthier lifestyle that would cause him to at least have the opportunity to spend more calories than his present activities. His parents and immediate family have tried everything, from fear to encouragement, but nothing seems to work. In this regard, I feel these messages made me realize that perhaps his family is not going about the issue in an effective way. Often, his mother enables him by buying him high-sugar food, and scolds him and warns him of the dangers thereof while simultaneously handing him the food. I feel if there were a healthy eating initiative at his school it would help him a great deal. Children are more inclined to adopt better dietary habits if they are not only reinforced by their environment, but also encouraged. A program in his school that offers fruits and vegetables rather than the fast food like items that are being given presently, would help him to overcome his obesity. (d) I was actually quite impressed with the reading “Reconciling the Difference: Art as Reparation and Healing”. There is often a mind body split that we create in our minds, perhaps due to our society, or our own experiences and knowledge. We consider the body to be different than our mind and vice versa. However, on deeper analysis, it is revealed how effective the healing process is if we disregard such a rift and consider the mind and body to be a part of a whole; our self. I read what the poster Marie had to offer on the subject and was blown away by the example of her nephew’s treatment facility. The approach of using art to heal is novel; however, her post clearly demonstrates the need for further exploration in this matter as there seems to be a very positive effect of art on the healing process. I, myself, have not had the opportunity to personally be involved in such a treatment facility, though I have often had the experience of having an illness and then feeling much better after I have read a book of poetry, or seen a movie that I enjoyed watching. This clearly shows that the Shamanistic approach of leading one away from the illness through things like visualizations and chanting can also help in the healing process. There are many incantations in the religion Islam for the sick, and I feel they have a positive effect on the sick person because of the therapeutic value of imagery, visualization and incantation. I feel, a good example in this regard would be the concept of the healing power of prayer that many of us, belonging to different faiths, hold true and valid. Q3. Educators are constantly involved in imparting knowledge and educating the less-informed. It is just as important for them to stay informed of the latest research and techniques so that they are well versed in the methods of educating. That is why, I think, it would be very appropriate for us to have our last class based on educating the educators. The class should focus on teaching us effective methods of getting our point across to our students, in essence, to improve our teaching techniques. We should be instructed how we, as educators, can not only improve our techniques, but also ourselves, so that whatever message we want to send holds more validity and soundness to our audience. Moreover, we should have an idea as to how to successfully educate our audience in a way that would be least burdensome for both ourselves and the audience. Perhaps an effective way of this would be to bring experienced educators to speak in our class about their experiences and learning. Q4. I agree with Sharon – our role as dieticians touches upon such a personal matter for our clients, that we need to be aware of their cultural and religious background. This is not to say that we should know everything about every culture beforehand, but that when consulting with a client, we need to be aware of his individuality and, therefore, his individual preferences as well as his individual cultural, ethnic and religious background. This would enable us to give better services to our clients. As John, I also believe in respect and professionalism leading to the road of success, however, unlike him, I think that professionalism encompasses the need to know about the client’s culture and treating him in a way that does not put him in a contradictory position thereto. The nutritional assessment, I feel, would be incomplete if we do not put it in the perspective of the client’s cultural background. Q5. Gingras puts forward a very unique and, I feel, much needed proposal regarding our obsession with obesity and fat. In this day and age, perhaps the only form of blatant bigotry that is left is the bigotry against the obese and the fat; instances where people were fired from their jobs or let go only because of their weight are now spread across our society. We have stopped judging people based on the color of the skin, perhaps, but we cannot stop ourselves from judging others based on their weight. Like Gingras, I believe, this trend needs to be stopped now as it has gone on far enough. Just like Susan and Joy opined in their posts, the media have a lot to be blamed for in this regard – whether it is images of skinny people being idolized or portrayed as “ideal body types” or the derision expressed for the obese, the media have perpetuated and enabled the judgmental behavior of the society against the obese. Moreover, like Joy and Susan, I also believe that not only is it wrong to lay the entire blame on the obese for their problem, but it is also not right to be noncommittal about trying to investigate various other factors, whether they be environmental, societal or health related, that contribute to obesity. Much research is needed in this regard, which is all the more important from the viewpoint of the obese who, so far, thanks to the media and the messages they send, have been solely blamed for their condition. Read More