Who Wants a Fat Child?: Care for Obese Children in Weight Obsessed Societies

Authors

  • W.A. Bogart University of Windsor

Keywords:

Fat, obesity, socio economic status, health equity, children, stigmatization, Health at Every Size, appearance bias, legal intervention, Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program, food security, hunger-obesity paradox, sugar-sweetened beverages, Gordura,

Abstract

The treatment of obese people in our society, especially fat children gives rise to much indignation ("Fat", "fatness" - rather than "obese, obesity" - are preferred terms among groups and individuals protesting societal and traditional public health treatment of large persons.)

Not all obese individuals are poor; but being excessively overweight tends to be inversely related to socio economic status among women and their children in post industrial societies. Poor children who are fat often have the hardest experiences because they are large, are in poverty, and are dependent on parents and others for their welfare.

Fat people are not protected from discrimination in most jurisdictions. Human rights laws should be amended to shield obese individuals from prejudicial actions. In addition, activism, public health models, and various legal interventions, to be discussed, need to focus on people, especially children, eating/drinking nutritiously and being physically active - with their weight being a secondary consideration. These issues are illustrated by discussing programs in the United States designed to assist poor families to eat and drink more nutritiously.

El tratamiento de las personas obesas en nuestra sociedad, especialmente en el caso de los niños, da lugar a mucha indignación (se usan términos como "gordo", "gordura", en lugar de "obeso, obesidad", entre los grupos e individuos que protestan por el tratamiento social y la sanidad púbica tradicional para tratar a las personas grandes).

No todas las personas obesas son pobres; pero en las sociedades postindustriales, entre mujeres y sus hijos tener un sobrepeso excesivo tiende a estar inversamente relacionado con la posición socioeconómico. Los niños pobres que están gordos sufren, a menudo, las experiencias más duras, porque son grandes, están en situación de pobreza, y su bienestar depende de sus padres y otras personas.

En la mayoría de jurisdicciones, las personas gordas no están protegidas contra la discriminación. Las leyes de derechos humanos deberían modificarse para proteger a las personas obesas frente a acciones lesivas. Además, se analizarán el activismo, los modelos de salud pública, y diversas intervenciones legales. Todos ellos necesitan centrarse en las personas, especialmente los niños, que comen y beben de forma equilibrada, y que realizan actividad física, siendo el peso una consideración secundaria. Estos temas se ilustran mediante el análisis de programas estadounidenses destinados a ayudar a que familias pobres coman y beban de forma más nutritiva.

DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2559676

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Author Biography

W.A. Bogart, University of Windsor

W.A. Bogart is a Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Law, the University of Windsor. He is the author/editor of seven books. His latest are Permit But Discourage: Regulating Excessive Consumption (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011) and Regulating Obesity?: Government, Society, and Questions of Health (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013). His next project is the shift from criminalization to regulation of recreational drugs. He blogs regularly for the Huffington Post and is a frequent commentator for other media. Faculty of Law. University of Windsor. 401 Sunset Avenue. Windsor, Ontario N9B 3P4 Canada wbogart@uwindsor.ca

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Published

04-03-2014

How to Cite

Bogart, W. (2014) “Who Wants a Fat Child?: Care for Obese Children in Weight Obsessed Societies”, Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 5(1), pp. 8–28. Available at: https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/378 (Accessed: 10 December 2024).