by Darliene Howell

An essay in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice and Policy (Vol. 8, Issue 5, Sep 2011), published by the CDC (part of the U.S. government), shows how difficult it is to prevent stigmatizing fat children by organizations whose stated goal is to promote public health. The essay, "Ethical Concerns Regarding Interventions to Prevent and Control Childhood Obesity," (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/sep/10_0288.htm) promotes the work of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which has a stated goal to reverse the "childhood obesity epidemic" by 2015. The six policy priorities listed by the essay sound reasonable (making sure that food served in schools meets dietary guidelines, increasing access to affordable and healthy foods, etc.), and are reminiscent of the "Let's Move" campaign.

But another essay in the same issue, "Ethical Family Interventions for Childhood Obesity" (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2011/sep/11_0038.htm) by Mandy L. Perryman, PhD of Lynchburg College (and funded by the RWJF) is more problematic. This essay states, "Though childhood obesity is far more complex than parental choices alone, and no one decision or action can cause obesity, some child health advocates suggest that, by failing to prevent obesity, parents are accountable for indirect harm or negligence to their child." [Emphasis added] In this essay, they also discuss removal of obese children from their homes due to "negligence" or "child abuse".

My question is, how ethical is it to remove children from loving home environments based solely on their body size?

A July 13, 2011 commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), "State Intervention in Life-Threatening Childhood Obesity," by Lindsey Murtagh of the Harvard School of Public Health and David Ludwig, MD, PhD of Children's Hospital, Boston, stated that approximately 2,000,000 "super obese" children (in the 99th percentile) may need to be removed from their parents home and placed in foster care rather than subjecting these children to bariatric surgical interventions (weight loss surgery). As to the ethics of this recommendation, they admit ". . . the quality of foster care varies greatly; removal from the home does not guarantee improved physical health, and substantial psychosocial morbidity may ensue. Thus, the decision to pursue this option must be guided by carefully defined criteria such as those proposed by Varness et al, with less intrusive methods used whenever possible."

NAAFA addressed this commentary in their July 15, 2011 press release, Kidnapping: Next New Diet Fad! We challenged Dr. Ludwig and his colleagues to take a HAES^SM (Health At Every SizeŽ) approach instead of suggesting such preposterous action that has no track record of success, recalling the failure of such action as demonstrated in the case of Anamarie Regino, and referring them to the NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit^SM as a resource.

So why is the RWJF promoting child removal as part of its policy priorities? It is a "stick" to try to force families to change. It's a political scare tactic. NAAFA counters that it IS ethical to promote a health-centered lifestyle. Taking children from their homes based on weight or body size alone is a violation of the parents' and the child's civil rights!

This issue is clearly on NAAFA's radar for advocacy and activism, now and in the future. It is imperative that we continue to leverage our relationships with our political representatives to counter the money and influence of groups such as RWJF in recommending public policy.

EQUALITY AT EVERY SIZE! 

by Lisa M. Tealer, NAAFA Board Member, Director of Programs, and Interim Treasurer

I was wrapping up a few items after our national convention this past month, and it hit me: I joined the NAAFA Board five years ago in September. I couldn't believe it had been that long. I had been approached to apply by then NAAFA Board members Marilyn Wann and Carole Cullum. To be honest the idea was appealing, but daunting. I was honored to be asked, yet I had already been approached to chair a community health care organization, so I wasn't sure I could manage both, plus a 50-60 hour per week job, and have a semblance of a personal life, too. They reassured me that being a Board member wasn't too demanding, and that Board members were very supportive of one another.

I forwarded a brief biography, including the size acceptance work I had been involved with over the years. In a conference call with the Board members, I presented my contribution to the movement and my reasons for joining the Board, and answered questions from Board members. In turn, I asked about the direction of the organization, the challenges and opportunities, Board duties and expectations. The Board had just launched its five-year strategic plan at the last national convention. Shortly thereafter I was voted onto the Board.

It has been an amazing journey, with valleys and peaks. The first valley was the untimely passing of Jeanne Tombs. I still think of her cheerful smile, love of music, and her plan to take a dream trip to Paris. However, most have been peaks. One of the first was going to the NAAFA convention in 2007 in Rosemont, Illinois as a Board member. It was wonderful to meet NAAFA members and supporters from all over the world. It was a completely exhausting, exhilarating and learning experience. I am very proud to be part of a Board that works hard donating its time and other resources to fight size discrimination. As I reflect over these past five years, here are some of the NAAFA Board achievements that I've been part of:

 

Infrastructure

• Secured an accountant and bookkeeper with expertise with non-profit organizations
• Enhanced corporate governance models
• Restructured convention
• Embedded Diversity & Inclusion as core values
• Added key NAAFA Advisory Board members

Communication

• Reviewed NAAFA newsletters (and wrote a few articles, too), press releases, and official letters on NAAFA's initiatives, and responses to discriminatory policies and programs
• NAAFA's Diversity & Inclusion Statement
• Represented NAAFA on panels, in webinars, and to the media

Projects

• Size Diversity Toolkit (mailed to Fortune 500 companies and over 200 individuals, academic institutions and non-profit organizations)
• Child Advocacy Toolkit

Programs

• Advocacy Day on the Hill for NAAFA's 40th Anniversary
• NAAFA HAES Scholarship
• International HAES Summit

So what's next? I look forward to helping make NAAFA an even stronger civil rights organization through strategic planning, growth, diversifying, and leveraging the Board and membership base and their talents. In addition, we are developing the next exciting phase of NAAFA's size diversity initiative, anti-bullying education and advocacy guidelines, convention/summit planning, and scholarship programs. As I write I am reminded of a favorite quote:

Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work. -Thomas Edison

Being a NAAFA Board member is a lot of work, but there have been so many opportunities to make an impact to eradicate weight bias and size discrimination. It's an honor to part of it. Join us on the EAES* train - All Aboard!

*EAES - Equality At Every Size (launched at the 2011 NAAFA National Convention) 

The following link on the CDC website has more about prostate cancer, as well as the five main kinds of gynecologic cancer that can be caught and treated with early detection:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6034a6.htm

Also, NAAFA's Health and Wellness Resources has links to lots of information about your health:

http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/education/links.html

Are you aware of NAAFA's Patient Bill of Rights: http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/education/brochures/Healthcare_ Bill_of_Rights--EDITED.pdf

Coming SOON: Revised Guidelines for Health Care Providers that Treat Fat Patients. You will be able to copy it from the NAAFA website and take it to every physician and/or nurse you see.

NAAFA Advisory Board Member Joanne Ikeda was recently installed as the Vice President of the Society of Nutrition Education (SNE), as well as Chair-Elect for SNE's Annual Conference Committee. The SNE is an international organization of nutrition education professionals who are dedicated to promoting effective nutrition education and communication to support and improve healthful behaviors. On September 30th, Joanne will conduct a live SNE webinar from 2 to 3 PM (EST) titled Children and Weight: First Do No Harm. For more information go to http://www.sne.org/events/events.html

NAAFA Advisory Board Member Brandon Macsata, Managing Partner of The Macsata-Kornegay Group (TMKG), has been appointed as the Interim Executive Director of the New York City Business Leadership Network (NYCBLN). Brandon has served as the organization's General Consultant since January 2010. NYCBLN's mission is to provide organizational support, awareness, education, and other resources to area businesses to assist them with hiring and retaining people with disabilities.

NAAFA Advisory Board Members Jon Robison, PhD, and Law Professor Paul Campos will be featured in an upcoming powerful documentary: America the Beautiful II - The Thin Commandments by Darryl Roberts, to be released in October. The Director's Cut was shown at the ASDAH's conference in August. See trailer at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=drpvF7gszOU 

By December 15, 2011, please send an abstract of 100 - 250 words or a completed paper to Fat Studies Area Co-Chairs Julia McCrossin (jmccross@gwmail.gwu.edu) and Lesleigh Owen (goddess_les@yahoo.com). Please include your complete contact information and a CV and/or 50 word bio, along with anticipated A/V needs. All submissions are welcome, but please ensure your paper fits within the academic and political scopes of Fat Studies.

This is the third year that NAAFA members Carole Cullum and Kathy Brehm have generously donated a week's stay in Hawaii for NAAFA's fundraising raffle. Their generosity not only helps fund the vital programs of NAAFA but also affords some of our members the opportunity to experience the beauty of our 50th state!

We are pleased to announce that our winner this year is Darliene Howell. Darliene and her guests will enjoy coming home to a spacious two-bedroom, luxury condo at the fabulous Point at Poipu on the Garden Island of Kauai in Hawaii, overlooking the secluded sands of Shipwreck Beach.

Due to the success of this year's raffle, Carole and Kathy have committed to donating a week's stay in Hawaii again next year. Start saving right now for this fabulous opportunity to support NAAFA's work and enjoy a week in paradise! 

by Bill and Terri Weitze

[Find more news at http://naafa.org]

 

June 20, 2011: KC Morley (pen name of an OpenSalon blogger) writes of being a fat admirer and proponent of size acceptance who has struggled to go from a size 14 to a size 6 and stay there. The article gives good insight into her feelings of guilt and confusion as to how she views fat on others and fat on herself.

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/06/20/fat_lover_lost_weight_open2011

 

August 8, 2011: Our special edition newsletter has a full report on NAAFA's Washington, D.C. press conference calling for adding height and weight to the proposed legislation concerning bullying in schools. Here is a sampling of the extensive media coverage that NAAFA received (Pattie Thomas's blog post for Psychology Today is especially insightful):

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-08-08/politics/anit.bullying.bill.fat.acceptance_1_anti-bullying-first-lady-overweight-kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2K8f847Pac

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/08/group-suggests-adding-obesity-to-anti-bullying-legislation-64849.html

http://wwww.c-spanvideo.org/program/SafeS

http://www.knrs.com/pages/rod.html?article=8961044

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/i-take-space/201108/no-child-left-behind-safe-schools-improvement-act-2011

 

August 9, 2011: Commenting on NAAFA's request that height and weight be included in the Safe Schools Improvement Act, a blog on Teacher-World.com asks, if we protect these children, what about the kids with big ears, and frizzy hair. Well, what about them? When is bullying ever appropriate?

http://www.teacher-world.com/teacher-blog/?tag=national-association-to-advance-fat-acceptance

 

August 9, 2011: An article discussing how dangerously ill people are sometimes complimented for how great (i.e. thin) they look asks what kind of person would make such a comment. Stephen Franzoi, professor of psychology at Marquette University suggests those people may be uncomfortable with disease or are people who focus on appearance and are socially insensitive.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44011025/ns/today-today_health

 

August 10, 2011: Dr. Deah Schwartz reviews the children's book written by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and his sister Pat, Eddie Shapes Up. The book starts out well in urging kids to make healthy choices and pointing out people come in all shapes and sizes, but the message of the book (and Mayor Koch's own point of view) is don't be fat.

http://www.leftoverstogo.com/2011/08/10/bully-for-you

 

August 10, 2011: A short video features a reading of the words of Hanne Blank listing everything that real women are - by nature or by choice - and tells us that there is no wrong way to have a body.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6p2sLtlEZQ

http://www.hanneblank.com/blog/2011/06/23/real-women

 

August 10, 2011: SeattlePi talks about the Health at Every SizeŽ approach referring to some of the science that backs up the effectiveness of the HAES approach. The last part of the article, however, focuses on research from Sweden (of a group of 50 to 70 year old men) which concludes that being overweight or obese can result in certain health problems.

http://blog.seattlepi.com/timigustafsonrd/2011/08/04/healthy-fit-and-overweight-%E2%80%93-can-you-have-it-all

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/early/2011/05/05/ATVBAHA.110. 221572.abstract

 

August 12, 2011: Jess Weiner once believed that women should love their bodies - no matter what size or shape. After 16 years of ignoring her health, she now claims her self-acceptance "almost killed me" because her doctor gave her the "you're going to die if you don't lose weight" speech. Uh-huh. Ms. Weiner is now a newly "reformed" fatty peddling her own weight loss program. A response to Ms. Weiner by ASDAH is provided below.

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/2011/08/jess-weiners-weight-struggle-loving-my-body-almost-killed-me

http://healthateverysizeblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/the-haes-files-loving-your-body-wont-kill-you-but-being-targeted-for-a-curse-might

 

August 11, 2011: Nearly half the schools in Ohio have opted out of the state's body mass index (BMI, a weight-to-height ratio) test of students. Pat McKnight, chair of state policy for the Ohio Dietetic Association, claims that many parents don't realize their children are fat and need the school to tell them. Maybe Pat McKnight should read up on the effects of dieting and targeting fat children.

http://www.wksu.org/news/story/29121

 

August 12, 2011: To investigate the effect of public health intervention on fatness in children, researchers studied two groups of middle school children. There was no intervention in the control group; and the other group of schools instituted changes in their nutritional and physical education programs as well as having promotional and educational activities. The results? Both groups had a 4% reduction in BMI. The conclusion? That public awareness of childhood obesity must be working. Huh?

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/news/2011/08/public-awareness-trims-obesity-in-kids.aspx

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/chi.2011.0044

 

August 13, 2011: Psychology Today blogger Jean Anspaugh discusses societal fear of fat, which has led to bullying of children by their own parents, even thin children (whom the parents fear may someday become fat). The bitter parental quote at the beginning of the article shows how powerful fat fear is.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fat-us/201108/fat-fear

 

August 15, 2011: Chelsea Lincoln, founder of Big Butt Biking, is a fat woman who uses her bicycle as her main method of transportation in hilly Portland, Oregon. She talks about people shouting abuse from passing cars and the difficulty of finding proper equipment and clothing, but also gives good pointers and advice on how to overcome those barriers to biking enjoyment.

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-08-15-living-large-and-healthy-on-the-bike

 

August 15, 2011: Two recent studies look at using the Edmonton obesity staging system (EOSS) as a better predictor of health problems for fat people than BMI. Researchers emphasize that fat does not necessarily mean unhealthy, and that yo-yo dieting can cause health problems. However, they do think that weight loss treatments are justified for people at Stages 4 or 5, even though many fat people are at lower stages, which seems to indicate that weight itself is not the deciding factor. Interestingly, in the NRC Research study, all the relative risks were less than 1.0 except for those who had intentionally lost weight and those who were weight-cycling. So the proposed cure for Stage 4 and 5 fatties is the most consistently dangerous practice!

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/formula+slims+down+definition +dangerously+obese/5257369/story.html

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/early/2011/08/15/cmaj.110387.abstract

http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full/10.1139/h11-058

http://www.thefatchronicles.com/yes-but.html

 

August 15, 2011: Attorney Michael Helfand explains why a person who has been clearly discriminated against when a job offer was rescinded solely because of weight has no legal recourse (unless that person is lucky enough to live in one of the few places where height and weight are classifications protected under law).

http://www.chicagonow.com/chicagos-real-law-blog/2011/08/not-getting-a-job-because-you-are-fat-you-are-out-of-luck

 

August 15, 2011: A new study out of California shows that notifying parents of the BMI of their children had little impact on obesity rates. Currently, the Institute of Medicine recommends measuring school children's BMI, along with parental notification, but other agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association maintain that there is not enough evidence to support the practice. Looks like the evidence is in.

http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/kids/do-school-letters-about-kid-s-weight-work-1.1117767

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/archpediatrics.2011.127

 

August 16, 2011: Researchers at Monash University (Australia) find that, far from promoting unhealthy lifestyles, the fatosphere (the informal community of size acceptance bloggers) helps empower individuals when it comes to their health, social interactions, and their bodies.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/62532/obese-people-find-a-voice-in-the-fatosphere

http://qhr.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/07/31/1049732311417728.abstract

 

August 16, 2011: Anti-fat messages from mass media are so pervasive that they can lower a woman's self-esteem despite their having supportive friends and family, according to a study out of Arizona State University.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/asu-fsm081611.php

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953611003388

 

August 18, 2011: StaffingTalk.com's Regan Kohler interviews NAAFA's Lisa Tealer on weight-based workplace discrimination. As well as being informative on the subject of workplace discrimination, the article provides good information on NAAFA and its work.

http://staffingtalk.com/customers-refuse-hire-fat-people-your-boss

 

August 18, 2011: A study purports to show that "obesity-attributable" medical costs impose a high annual total and public sector medical costs on state budgets. Neither the press release nor the abstract talks about what specifically these costs are, whether they have been shown to be caused by fatness itself or by diseases that fat people get at a higher rate. And of course, they can't really say whether these costs would go down if all the fat people became thin because current methods for making fat people thin (dieting and WLS) don't work, and in fact make the problem worse.

http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/579779

http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/oby2011169a.html

 

August 18, 2011: Writer Paul Michael Kramer unleashes a wave of disgust and outrage over his forthcoming book Maggie Goes on a Diet, about a teen who starts exercising and watching what she eats to lose weight. Once Maggie loses the weight, of course, everything is wonderful. Mr. Kramer says the book has a positive message, and that people are prejudging his book. He states, "The main message of 'Maggie' is to have all children realize there is an answer if they are obese. . . ." I don't think anyone has misjudged the message of this book, which is being marketed as suitable for children as young as 4 years old. Please go to the link below and leave your comments regarding this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Maggie-Goes-Diet-Paul-Kramer/dp/0981974554

 

August 19, 2011: The book Maggie Goes on a Diet provokes some excellent responses. First, the uproar sparks renewed interest in the book Not Fat Because I Wanna Be, written by LaNiyah Bailey, an actual 6-year old telling of her experience of being targeted by bullies because of her size. The second link is to an ABC News article featuring Joanne Ikeda on why this book is so troublesome to so many. Finally, the third link points to Michelle May, M.D.'s response to Maggie Goes on a Diet, a free e-book about her own experiences called "Michelle Goes on a Diet . . . that Lasted 20 Years".

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1373351/LaNiyah-Bailey-writes-book-overweight-bullied.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/book-dieting-teen-targets-kids-12/story?id=14335578

http://healthateverysizeblog.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/the-haes-files-michelle-goes-on-a-diet

 

August 19, 2011: Citing various research, the Huffington Post looks at new studies on the effect of "fat talk" among women. Apparently the irony of offering the opportunity to take a quiz to "find out if you're at a healthy weight with the Body Health Quiz" in the middle of this article is lost on HuffPo.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/19/fat-talk_n_927385.html

http://intl-pwq.sagepub.com/content/35/1/18.short

http://www.benthamscience.com/open/tocommj/articles/V005/1TOCOMMJ.pdf

 

August 20, 2011: The most effective way to end weight discrimination might be federal legislation. However, ASDAH member (and former NAAFA intern) Jennifer Copeland suggests that you stick up for yourself and not hold yourself responsible for someone else's attitudes and misperceptions. Jennifer says, "Work to change those perceptions - not yourself."

http://fitbie.msn.com/node/7430

 

August 22, 2011: A statistical study (based on data from the Framingham Cohort Study) claims that the longer you are fat, the more likely you are to die. (Ummm, isn't that the same as saying the older you are the closer you are to being dead?) The study compares fat people with people who have never been fat, and does not take into account the physiological (and psychological) stress of dieting and of being fat in our society.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/health-14614209

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/40/4/985.abstract

 

August 23, 2011: German researchers look at how fat stigma relates to public health. They conclude that a lot more research in this area is needed, and suggest two approaches to reduce the stigma: First, modifying prejudice among the general public; and second, providing strategies to cope with weight discrimination as long term significant weight loss is improbable.

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/661

 

August 23, 2011: Citing various studies, The Los Angeles Times finds nothing objectionable in the advice provided in "Maggie Goes on a Diet". However, none of the studies show significant long-term (five or more years) weight loss.

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/23/news/la-heb-maggie-goes-on-a-diet-book-20110823

http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2011/03/23/ajcn.110.010694.abstract

http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/165/6/540

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21151016

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/02/07/peds.2010-0697.abstract

 

August 24, 2011: Studying the survivors of the Dutch Famine (1944-1945), Holland researchers conclude that undernutrition, especially during the adolescent years, leads to a 27% higher risk of heart disease in later life. So how many teens do you think are currently on a diet, will end up fat, and have heart problems that are blamed on weight?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14647896

http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/24/ eurheartj.ehr228.abstract

 

August 26, 2011: Researchers predict a 73% increase in fatness in the UK driven by a food industry bent on maximizing profits. Even though the researchers admit that there are no populations in which the "obesity epidemic" has been reversed by public health measures, the UK government is urged to "prevent a looming national health emergency."

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/uk-fat-alert-26-million-will-be-obese-by-2030-2344149.html

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673611608143

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673611608131

 

August 26, 2011: In her SF Weekly blog, Marilyn Wann discusses society's love/hate relationship with fat people, using the latest Southwest Airline debacle as a prime example of how harmful fat discrimination can be.

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2011/08/marilyn_wann_fat_ people_love_hate.php 

Rodney Dangerfield's stories of being treated with "No Respect" made his reputation as a comedian. Southwest Airlines is making a reputation for themselves as well but it's because they are showing NO RESPECT to their fat customers.

We have known for many years about their arbitrary enforcement of the "make fat people pay for two seats" policy. So what could they possibly do to disrespect us even more? In our video this month, Athia Choudhury shares her story about her humiliating experience which didn't stop with paying for a second seat. (Sadly, this is not the first time I have heard this story. A personal friend of mine in Las Vegas had a very similar experience with Southwest Airlines.)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xp9mfZ0zZAg

Southwest's response to Athia shows how little they value our business:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iVH4RMcLB20

If you'd like to join Athia in letting Southwest know how you feel about customers being treated with NO RESPECT, you can create your own LUV bucks and tweet them to @southwestair, post them on their FB page or send them to headquarters at:

Southwest Airlines
P.O. Box 36647-1CR
Dallas, Texas 75235 

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