Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
As American health authorities prosecute an all-out war against obesity, a small cadre of researchers is warning that the nation's 78 million obese adults and 12.5 million obese children are already suffering collateral damage. The message that they will become victims of self-inflicted disease, poor role models for their families and a drag on the economy unless they lose weight has left many obese Americans feeling depressed, defeated and ashamed, these experts warn.
Ironically, some of the campaigns aimed at obese Americans could sink efforts to help them improve their health by eating better and exercising more, the experts wrote last week in the International Journal of Obesity.
Anti-obesity campaigns viewed as stigmatizing "instill less motivation to improve health," while the messages that appeared most effective at encouraging behavior change didn't mention obesity at all, according to the research team from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/anti-obesity-messages-backfiring_2012-09-16.html
Ironically, some of the campaigns aimed at obese Americans could sink efforts to help them improve their health by eating better and exercising more, the experts wrote last week in the International Journal of Obesity.
Anti-obesity campaigns viewed as stigmatizing "instill less motivation to improve health," while the messages that appeared most effective at encouraging behavior change didn't mention obesity at all, according to the research team from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/anti-obesity-messages-backfiring_2012-09-16.html