For those of you not in the know, “BBW” stands for “Big Beautiful Woman“.
I’m really not sure what to make of this item from Reuters via Yahoo:
A new program developed by the U.S. government is tackling the obesity epidemic by helping “tween” girls and their parents make small but important changes to build a healthier lifestyle.
[snip]
Girls 9 to 13 years old who are overweight or obese are referred to BodyWorks through their pediatrician, or by word of mouth. Parents and caregivers attend 10 weekly 90-minute sessions, and girls are expected to show up for at least three. The goal is to give parents and caregivers “hands-on tools to make small behavior changes to prevent obesity and help maintain a healthier weight,” according to the BodyWorks Web site (http://www.womenshealth.gov/bodyworks/).
“The very attractive aspect of it is that it addresses the whole family, and the whole environment in the household, which I think is the best approach to childhood obesity,” said [Pediatrician Dr. Monica] Richter. “Diet implies a short-term deprivation, which doesn’t work.”
[snip]
The goal is not for girls to lose weight…, but for families as a whole to begin making healthier choices at the grocery store, to become more active and to spend less time in sedentary activities like watching TV or playing computer games.
Ok, so let me give points for recognizing that diet alone is not the answer. More points for involving the whole family in the plan. Being overweight or obese puts people at risk for a number of life-shortening problems and some other problems that reduce quality of life as well, so helping them lose weight is a pretty good goal. But I have to take points away for targeting just girls in just this specific age range.
What? Boys don’t get fat? Girls aged 9-13 don’t have enough body image issues? They weren’t fat when they were younger? These young ladies don’t have chubby siblings and parents who could stand to lose a few pounds?
In closing: tips for better blogging; careful about shifting to the “center” Senator, because it’s further to the left than most people think; it turns out treating pregant women for their addiction problems is better for everybody in the long run; nice to see that at least some laws apply to Blackwater; and last, there will probably not be a lot more entries in the “Picture This” category. Those strange things I run across will be submitted to the new and improved Groundmeat.
Childhood obesity is particularly troubling because the extra pounds often start kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults.
Nice Pokemon.