Health professionals and parents are up in arms today over a new anti-obesity ad campaign in Georgia, featuring stark black-and-white photos of overweight children with lines like “Some diseases aren’t just for adults anymore,” and “Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid.” Is it a useful tactic, or just shameful? And when will Bloomberg bring it to New York?
The Strong4Life campaign was designed to attract attention: “We felt like we needed a very arresting, abrupt campaign that said: ‘Hey, Georgia! Wake up. This is a problem,’" says Linda Matzigkeit, a senior vice president at Children’s Healthcare, the group behind the campaign. But critics say the message gets lost in the scare tactics: "...the main thrust of the campaign is still a horribly misguided focus on what a bummer it is to be fat," writes Salon, adding, "change so you won’t get picked on? That’s a terrible philosophy, especially for the less ectomorphically inclined." On Strong4Life's Facebook page, parents have been outraged, calling out the group for creating a "climate of hate" and encouraging them to "Stop the shame, shocking statistics, and scare tactics and start offering these kids and their parents suggestions and solutions."
It remains to be seen whether similar ads will appear closer to home, where Bloomberg swears there are fewer young fatties despite the many schools failing to offer adequate physical education. We can see them going nicely with the "Are you pouring on the pounds?" posters in subways across the city.
