Catagory Index: Health
Category: Health
Preventing Obesity in Our Kids
The American Academy of Family Physicians put out a tip sheet for parents concerned about preventing obesity in their kids. Among the tips: Limit T.V. watching, and limit fast food to once a week.
We'd like to add something else to that list: Teach your kids to deconstruct media messages. Here are some question to ask your kids, from media education consultant Frank Baker.
Food For Thought: Media to Digest for Healthier Kids
March is National Nutrition Month, so Shaping Youth is adding to the ADA’s Eat Right Web resources with some fun and worthy positive picks in food media to share with your kids, boost their media literacy IQ, and counter-market the cartoon pitches for empty calorie crud. Here goes:
I’ve always loved the SmartMouth interactive site for kids, but my new discovery is the U.K.’s “Which?” site, revealing kids’ food marketing ploys in a fabulously engaging digital ditty called “The Interactive Bedroom.” The cartoon door entices, “Knock, Knock! Open the door to find out who’s manipulating our children’s diets!”
Kids Getting More Obesity Surgery
Need more evidence that obesity is becoming a big problem with kids? According to new research, American teens are having obesity surgery at soaring rates.
The surgery rates for 12-19 year olds tripled between 2000 and 2003, and as many as 1,000 teens may have obesity surgery this year. (Read the full story from the Associated Press here)
Since 1960 the number of kids who are overweight has tripled; childhood obesity is now described as "epidemic" by the medical community. The American Academy of Pediatrics calls the costs associated with childhood obesity "staggering."
Workshop: The Girl's Guide to Getting REAL Tour
True story:
- 92 percent of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look.
- 86 percent of the approx. 10 million American girls and women who suffer from an eating disorder report the onset of their condition by age 20.
- 74 percent of girls say they are under pressure to please everyone.
Girls don’t have to let disrespect and unrealistic ideals get them down. They can get REAL instead…
This October, I'm teaming up with the amazing Audrey Brashich, author of ALL MADE UP: A Girl’s Guide to Seeing Through Celebrity Hype & Celebrating Real Beauty, to deliver an empowering workshop for teen girls.
Models vs. Role Models
Once again, models are taking center stage. Two new model-focused reality shows are currently airing -- and they send very different messages.
With the eighth cycle of America's Next Top Model, Tyra Banks continues her crusade to broaden America’s definition of beauty beyond the current super-skinny standard -- while simultaneously crowning a "Top Model" with a fierce walk, dynamic personality, good looks, and an inspirational story. This time around, the contestants include two plus-size models.
And Banks, who has become a spokesperson for the "normal"-sized woman, will revisit her original 1993 Sports Illustrated cover (for which she weighed 140 pounds, versus her current 161) in an effort to drive home the message that you don't have to be unhealthily skinny to be beautiful.
