Should parents of extremely obese children lose custody for not controlling their kids' weight?

This was the question posed in yesterday's Observer article entitled "Physician suggests taking obese kids from parents". Someone sent me the link to this article and I finally read it and the 81 pearls of wisdom this morning. It's amazing how many people honestly believe that this proposal is a viable "solution" to the complex problem of childhood obesity.

I was disturbed to see that once again, many posted their comments without consideration of the many reasons why children are obese. Sure, the obvious reason why so many American children are obese comes down to three primary reasons: portion size, unhealthy foods and being sedentary. Much of this can be controlled by parents when children are young. Yes, I agree that parents have a huge role in the health and weight of their children when they are young. Notice I didn't blame the media, restaurants or Ronald McDonald. 

Now, that I have shared the pros to this article, humor me as I share the cons:

1. Foster Care Funding – Foster care should always be a temporary separation reserved for only the most egregious parental issues. Unfortunately, there are too many more serious societal issues that require this type of intervention. Mecklenburg County’s 2011-2012 total budget for Social Services is $431 million. Food and Nutrition Benefits account for 70% of this total ($300 million). Foster Care related services were only allotted 4% of the county’s budget a mere $16.3 million. Mecklenburg’s current budgetary allocation clearly would not be able to fund this physician’s very controversial proposal.
2. Simple solution to a complex problem – There are many studies which prove that people’s metabolic systems work differently. Society quickly assumes that parents are the problem. If you look at families in your neighborhood or in your church, you probably know children who are a little larger than their siblings and/or parent(s). There are many adults and children who eat fast food and don’t exercise, yet they are “normal” sized. This author’s proposal doesn’t take this into account nor does he take into account health or other issues such as weight gained as a result of trauma.
3. Healthy food – Let’s face it, everyone doesn’t have access to healthier foods and yes healthier foods generally cost more. I am not using this as an excuse. It’s pure economics. Look at the grocery sales papers and the coupons readily found. Most of them are for processed foods that are already cheaper than non-processed foods. Food growers, processors, and manufacturers have aggressively lobbied to alter the natural processes used to feed Americans. We as Americans have silently watched as hormones and antibodies have been used in the meat that we now eat. 
4. Food labeling -- We don’t take the time to really understand what we are eating and drinking. We all know that we should eat whole grain bread.  Today, go to the grocery store and count how many variations there are on "whole wheat" and "whole grain".  Take a chair, you will be there a while.

I am on my final weeks of drinking diet Mt. Dew which I have been drinking faithfully for over 16 years. Why?  If you want to know, google brominated vegetable oil (BVO). This has been used in America for decades in clear soft drinks, yet it is banned in over 100 countries. Was I irresponsible each time I drank my Dew?  I don't think so.  Sometimes we simply trust the food companies, the FDA, and USDA a little too much.

Yes, obesity and specifically childhood obesity is a very serious problem with very long term consequences. Yes, parents like me need to take responsibility for the problems we are causing when we make daily food and exercise choices.  However, the bigger solution will not come from irresponsible proposals such as putting obese children in foster care.  Often these kids are already feeding an emotional void, foster care just makes it worse.  Real solutions will come when society realizes that through personal and community education we can solve this problem by making healthier choices one meal at a time.

Nancy Johnson