Is Child Obesity Child Abuse?
According to numerous research reports extreme obesity among American children is much worse than previously believed. At least one third of children are obese, increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Dr. Joseph A. Skelton of Wake Forest University School of Medicine says that children are not only becoming obese, but becoming severely obese impacting their overall health.
What I find most upsetting is a report from Children’s Hospital in Kansas City that states that obese children, as young as ten years old, had the arteries of 45-year olds, indicating that their “vascular age” was about thirty years older than their actual age. To make matters even worse, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reports that obese children, as young as three years old, had elevated levels of inflammation in their cardiovascular system - and we all know this leads to serious disease.
We had a rigorous discussion of this topic on my Healthline radio show on March 12, 2010. Here’s an excerpt:
So the question is, when a parent feeds their obese toddler a handful of cookies - could that be considered child abuse? What do you think?
May 18th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
The term abuse in our modern society has become a clearly defined description of conduct, be it verbal, emotional, or physical, that adversely affects the state of health of an individual. We are particularly protective of children and keep a watchful eye for any sign of abuse because, as a civilization that has been forged by the progression of scientific thought and processes, we are generally aware enough to know that abuse can lead to immediate harm in the overall health of children, or an arrest in their development, causing problems and issues that can affect them as adults. By virtue of this it is clear that as a society we have consciously decided to not to include childhood obesity as a form of abuse. The reasons for this, some of which are political, vary. However, perhaps one of the more personal reasons is our connection or interpretation of food.
In many parts of the world, being overweight is often seen as a status symbol that communicates the idea that an individual is healthy and wealthy. It was not too long ago that this was the case in western civilization as well. Our relationship of food and love is generally dictated by how “well” we eat. However our definition of “well” is based on the “amount” of food we eat, and the pleasure associated with it. Herein lies the problem. A little word association can explain why this prevents us from facing the reality that childhood obesity is a form of abuse:
Feeding/food= Love
Abuse= I do not love
The way I feed my children= I want the best for them because I love them.
Defining childhood obesity as abuse in many people’s minds signals the message, ” I do not love my child because I abuse him/her.” This is a near impossible association for most parents to make in regard to their children. It is even more difficult for our society to accept the fact that 1 out of every 3 children of a productive, progressive, modern society is a victim of abuse. One of the definitions of abuse found in the merriam-Webster dictionary is ” physical maltreatment. Scientific research shows, and continues to show, that Childhood obesity leads to problems that cause an immediate harm in the overall health of children, or a host of problems that causes problems and affects them as adults. Given that the choice of what children eat or do not eat is most often times in the hands of parents, parental figures, and people, or organizations that we trust with their care, it is clear that we as adults and a society are guilty of abuse.
However, our guilt does not stem from a lack of “love” and care; It stems from a lack of knowledge and understanding of food and health. Perhaps if we can reconcile this idea with our notion of feeling as though we are bad parents, teachers, and see how we abuse ourselves nutritionally, we will be able to accept the fact that childhood obesity is abuse, educate ourselves and our children, and make the appropriate changes that break the cycle of abuse.
Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine stated, ” Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” If what we are feeding our children is gradually or rapidly making them sick and doing them harm, what other word can we possibly use to define our actions?
Lateef B Oseni
co-owner of Triomph fitness, health, and wellness.