July 18, 2011 3:03 PM

Doc blasted for saying fat kids may belong in foster care

By
David W Freeman
Topics
News ,
Kids and family ,
Diet

David Ludwig

Dr. David S. Ludwig

(Credit: National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions)

(CBS) Are parents to blame for childhood obesity? Are there cases in which morbidly obese kids should be taken from their parents and raised in foster care?

A media firestorm erupted last week when a Harvard prof and his co-author suggested in a widely read article that the answer to both questions was a qualified "yes." But now the man at the center of the controversy, Dr. David S. Ludwig, is responding to angry, frightened parents who read about his views, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"It's absolutely understandable that if someone with an obese child heard the government could swoop in and take that child away, (they would) be frightened and outraged," Ludwig told Reuters. "I want to emphasize that foster care should only be the last resort when all other options have failed. It's just been heartbreaking to see how the story has been wildly exaggerated by some of the media, causing a great deal of pain and suffering for people."

Ludwig said the article was meant to spark a dialog on childhood obesity, which has been linked to all sorts of problems - including some that are life-threatening. According to the CDC, these problems include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, sleep apnea and other breathing problems, joint pain, gallstones, and heartburn - not to mention poor self-esteem and other potentially debilitating psychological problems.

If Ludwig's goal was getting people to talk, he certainly succeeded And parents weren't the only ones to express disagreement with his article.

"Forcing heavy children out of their homes is not the solution," Dr. Arthur Caplan, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Bioethics, wrote on msnbc.com in response to Ludwig's opinion piece. "I am not letting parents off the hook, but putting the blame for childhood obesity on the home and then arguing that moving kids out of homes where obesity reigns is the answer is short-sighted and doomed to fail."

So what should be done to help the two million or so American kids whose out-of-kilter body-mass index (BMI) puts them at the highest risk? Ludwig recommends everything from financial support and parenting courses for mothers and fathers of obese kids to increased access to recreation areas, Reuters reported.

But even in trying to reassure parents, Ludwig made it clear he thinks that state intervention might be the best course in some cases. "The ultimate answer to the obesity epidemic is not to blame parents, it's to create a more healthful and supportive society. But until we get there, what do we do about that 14-year-old, 400-pound child who's not facing increased risk of illness 20 years from now, but who's facing life-threatening complications today?"

What do you think? Should parents take the blame for raising fat kids?


Add a Comment See all 21 Comments
by Canadian-input July 22, 2011 3:20 PM EDT
OMG I cannot believe this guy. I get not smoking around your children. I get not drinking around your children. I get not doing drugs around your children. Now you are not allowed to EAT around your children?? Are you kidding me??
Let's discuss the cost of good nutritious food for kids compared to cheap garbage food. Fresh fruit and vegetables are far more expensive than twinkies. So who is to blame here? The parents that can't afford a nutritious diet? The stores that prices good food out of reach for less fortunate families? Or the manufactures that give us these unhealthy options?
Now let's discuss what exactly the parents that cannot afford to shop the way others can, should do? Any suggestions?
Then we will discuss genetic predisposition and family history of obesity. You are going to tell these 3 or 4 generations that they are all unfit to spend time together?
Shall we discuss the internet/video game craze that is isolating people more and more all the time? And we are going to blame the parents of the children with slower metabolisms while the revved up kids just keep on keeping on?
Should we talk about the social harassment and bullying those children who are only slightly overweight deal with on a daily basis that contributes to depression and more over eating? Not all of this is from other kids? teachers, whether knowingly or unknowingly, set kids up for insult and hurt feelings every time children are told to pick teams. So let's charge the teachers or maybe the whole school division.
I absolutely agree that this pandemic of chronic obesity needs to be addressed BUT striking fear in the hearts of obese people/families is NOT the way to do it. What you will accomplish is to create a group of people with an already serious issue into a group of people who now feel they need to hide from society. That sounds like a perfectly healthy option to me! Good grief he needs to think a little bit!
I absolutely agree that this pandemic of chronic obesity needs to be addressed BUT striking fear in the hearts of obese people/families is NOT the way to do it. What you will accomplish is to create a group of people with an already serious issue into a group of people who now feel they need to hide their families from society for fear of losing them. Removing these children from their homes and putting them on a strict diet? that is a great answer that will surely fix the problem and not create any others!
And why, oh why are we not talking about the families of bulimics and anorexics? IMHO it's because they are not as easy to see and it would be politically incorrect to point fingers at someone with an (yes I'm going to say it) eating disorder!! If you are going to address eating disorders don't pick and choose?. Let's address eating disorders!
Then we can discuss the parents of bullies and the parents of children who do not excel in school or maybe the parents of children with ADD/ADHD that choose no treatment or alternative treatments. It is a constant source of amazement to me that our society is so very willing to point fingers and place blame without offering any concrete answers to problems.
Reply to this comment
by moodyfoods July 21, 2011 7:13 PM EDT
I am a Registered Social Worker with a weight-loss business who focuses on emotional and mental health to achieve health weight-loss goals. Problematic-eating behaviors are unique and complex and cannot be addressed with a weekly print off of a menu and "do's" and "don'ts" People also need to be educated in what is really in foods and how they are actually created to be addicting. Also socio-economic issues are factors to obesity. Bad foods are cheap and highly accessible. In my book, "EATING OURSELVES CRAZY", I address many factors that cause North Americans to become heavily reliant on foods to soothe, comfort and provide relief putting our well-being at risk. As a former child protection worker, I can say that apprehending children only exacerbates emotional-eating due to the trauma and devastation of being separated from their family.
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by ryanhn July 20, 2011 6:12 PM EDT
It's the parents who decide what their children eat. It's the parents who teach their children their eating habits. It's the parents who either encourage their kids to get outdoors and do something active or let them sit around all day with the TV as their babysitter. Have you ever seen an obese kid whose parents were skinny? Yeah I blame the parents. Who else influences every aspect of a child's life?
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by Withheld123 July 20, 2011 2:55 PM EDT
If childhood obesity is child abuse then, every single professional inclduing doctors are guilty under section 72 of the Child and Family Service Act of hundreds if not thousands of counts of failure to report child in need of protection.
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by gmofree July 20, 2011 1:22 AM EDT
Parents are no more to blame than the Food System in the US. GMOs; an upside-down pyramid; corn and soy that's genetically modified in 90% of the US supply; HFCS is EVERYTHING from soda to cough medicine; chemical additives including MSG; etc. in every processed food; school lunches consisting of mostly of starches and simple carb and not enough greens, fresh fruits or whole foods, too much sugary milk - school lunches FORCED on the children, by the way. The list goes ON AND ON!!! Did you know, for instance, that HFCS requires the liver to work FORTY times harder than normal to process the sweetener than it does pure cane sugar? FORTY TIMES!!!!! Do NOT put this ALL on the parents and then try to take the kids away from them when the US Government has had a very heavy hand in digging this grave. Take ownership of the problem instead of blaming the victims.
Reply to this comment
by ryanhn July 20, 2011 6:21 PM EDT
The answer to everything you mention is for parents to prepare good wholesome meals from scratch for their children to eat instead of relying on pre-packaged garbage or having an institution like a school cafeteria do their job for them. If you're too lazy or busy to provide your kids with healthy food, then yeah, it's your fault they're fat.
by famous1218 July 21, 2011 1:15 PM EDT
I don't care what you say, it is the parent's fault. This is another form of child abuse. Every parent should be aware that their child is getting bigger and bigger every day and do something about it. I have never seen a fat child without a fat parent. It is about time something be done about obesity in this country. This is a wake up call for parents it will scare the sh.t out of them if they know that their child will be taken away if they don't get off their a.. and pay attention to what their children are eating. It starts at home because if the child is taught well at home it follows them wherever they go.
by evernewecon July 19, 2011 11:54 AM EDT
Oh yeah?

Well see this:

http://www.reading.ac.uk/about/newsandevents/releases/PR380765.aspx

The point is: parents screw up because of
all their own psychological baggage.

We're all flawed, so parents are, naturally, paramount.

Tout de même, heath education needs to better reach
children directly, or, failing that, treat
your and my peers as adults, giving full respect
to the parents who are screwing up in this tiny
regard, and then advising how there is substantial
reason to believe there are promising ways toward
influencing their children's eating and activity
habits.

https://sites.google.com/site/evernewecon
Reply to this comment
by evernewecon July 19, 2011 1:49 PM EDT
Hello Reading University:

My wife's Anglo and her resume has shock points.

I exceeded myself because of stupid stupid meaningless conflict, which was rough on myself and her.

But, because of that, this comment resulted, AND: she and
I get:

this, 7/30/2011 (U.S. nomenclature, of course)

http://www.marineroom.com/files/Marine%20Room%20Dinner%20Menu%2006.20.11.pdf
by amerilatino July 19, 2011 10:05 AM EDT
I grew up a fat kid in an otherwise good household, when I became a teenager, I became interested in school football, and by way of that, in powerlifting. What this bonehead 'doctor' does not realize, is that fat kids respond AMAZINGLY well to strength exercise, and that most parents really don't know how to support their children's best interest in physical fitness and only need counseling to that effect. Does that make them unworthy as parents? Maybe some chubby high-school teenager with 19 inch arms and a 350 lb. bench press needs to pull this 'doctor' into a back alley and 'convince' him otherwise.
Reply to this comment
by Pauldust86 July 19, 2011 4:08 AM EDT
No, no, a thousand times no!
The fact of the matter is my kids are not the states property. My children belong to my family they are not property of the government!
Reply to this comment
by Br0therDave July 19, 2011 3:26 AM EDT
He tried to back out of his statements however left the reality of any parent of an obese child to loose their child. He further said: "I want to emphasize that foster care should only be the last resort when all other options have failed." So you can still have government step in and tell you how to raise your children or else you'll loose them.
Reply to this comment
by Chris-E-S July 19, 2011 2:58 AM EDT
Orrrrr, Here's an idea, reform the food supply. Stop feeding children a massive quantity of chemical cocktails with unknown side effects. Make broccoli and green beans cheaper then McDonald's and Twinkies. It's well known fact that obesity is more common in lower income families. Lower income families generally put in more work hours; No stay-at-home mom making healthy meals or planting organic gardens. It's fast food, processed chemical crap, or "microwave cuisine" for a lot of those kids. It's cheaper and faster to feed your family garbage then it is to feed them healthy. Some of the families in question honestly don't have the time, or money to make a healthy meal.
Soooo, How about we stop coming up with excuses to take children away from poor people and reform their access to real, healthy, chemical free food?
Still MORE economic persecution? Yet we consider ourselves a civilized nation...
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