Picture Perfect At Every Size
This week, while I am attending Obesity 2011, the 29th Scientific Meeting of The Obesity Society here in Orlando, back home, the Canadian Obesity Network is busy conducting a photo shoot with the goal to create a library of images of people with obesity that can be used by the media and others reporting on this issue. As readers will recall, I have previously commented on the fact that ‘obese people have heads too‘ – a fact that could easily be missed given the usual depiction of headless fat people in the media. Together with the usual images of these anonymous torsos sitting on couches and eating chips, this typical depiction of obesity not only serves to reinforce the stereotypical image of the gluttonous and slothful obese person but is in fact simply wrong in that it does not show the true face of obesity (no pun intended). As outlined in the “Guidelines for the Portrayal of Obese Persons in the Media” developed by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University and The Obesity Society (TOS): When selecting an image, video, or photograph of an obese person, consider the following questions: 1. Does the image imply or reinforce negative stereotypes? 2. Does the image portray an obese person in a respectful manner? Is the individual’s dignity maintained? 3. What are the alternatives? Can another photo or image convey the same message and eliminate possible bias? 4. What is the news value of the particular image? 5. Who might be offended, and why? 6. Is there any missing information from the photograph? 7. What are the possible consequences of publishing the image? Media aside, I think these guidelines should be considered by anyone given a talk on obesity that involves the use of media (slides, videos, etc.). Unfortunately, as I know all too well, it is not easy to find such images. This is why, the Canadian Obesity Network has invited volunteers to be photographed in pictures that will be offered to the media and anyone else for non-commercial use in reports, talks, presentations, and publications on obesity. This royalty free library will soon be available through the Canadian Obesity Network. For more details and examples of some of the shots, head over to a post by DR EyeCandy, who co-ordinate this shoot for the Network. Thanks to everyone involved – it looks like you had a… Read More »
Right Goal – Wrong Message
Yesterday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) jointly released a thoughtful, insightful, and thorough report on Obesity in Canada. Unfortunately, the media release announcing this report promoted the rather misleading and simplistic notion that millions of Canadians are overweight and obese simply ‘because’ they are inactive and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables. This, as becomes clear when reading the actual 62-page report, was probably neither the intention of the authors nor that of the reviewers and consultants, who contributed to this report. Indeed, the actual report goes to great lengths to explain that obesity is complex and multifactorial. Thus, the report points out that: “Research has identified a number of determinants associated with obesity, including physical activity, diet, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, immigration, and environmental factors” and that: “…the patterns involved are complex, and determinants are interconnected.” The report is particularly sensitive and cautious when it comes to the drivers of obesity in Canada’s Aboriginal communities: “Aboriginal populations have distinct histories, but they share common experiences of colonialism, racism and social exclusion. Reflecting these histories and a more holistic cultural perspective on health, for Aboriginal peoples the range of determinants of health may also include factors such as cultural continuity and the relationship to land.” and “…the historical experiences of Canada’s Aboriginal peoples provide important context in considering the determinants of Aboriginal health, including obesity.” With regard to the proximal determinants (like diet and physical activity), the report acknowledges research findings on familial and environmental factors that may affect dietary choices and behaviours: “For example, snacking or eating dinner while watching television, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages between meals and skipping breakfast have been associated with an increased risk of obesity in children and youth. As well, a study of middle-school-aged children found that a greater frequency of family dinners was associated with less soft drink consumption, more frequent breakfast eating, less concern over high bodyweight and higher self-efficacy for healthy eating at home and during social times with friends.” Other determinants, about which there is still much more to learn, include: “the effects of biological or genetic influences and pre- and post-natal effects, including birth weight and breastfeeding”. “There may also be a relation between psychiatric conditions and excess weight, although this may be confounded by that fact that some psychotropic medications can contribute to weight gain” Unfortunately, while the authors… Read More »
The Pedagogy of Obesity Reality Shows
One of the consequences of the obesity epidemic is the proliferation of “reality based” media aiming to lay bare and expose the unhealthy behaviours that lead to obesity and tout “solutions” primarily aimed at changing individual lifestyles. Notable examples of this ‘”entertainment” genre include television programmes such as Jamie’s School Dinners and Jamie’s Ministry of Food, You Are What You Eat, Honey, We’re Killing the Kids, Supersize and Superskinny, Fighting Fat Fighting Fit, and The Biggest Loser. In Canada we have our own examples like X-Weighted and the most recent CBC addition, Village on a Diet. Given the mass audiences that these shows command, it is worth considering how the causes, consequences, and possible solutions to obesity are portrayed in these shows. Perhaps even more importantly, the implicit and explicit portrayal of people with obesity in these shows and the “narrative” around obesity deserves exploration. This is the topic of a paper by Emma Rich from Loughborough University, UK, just published in the latest issue of HEALTH, which explores how reality media portrays and perpetuates the interdependent connections between parenting, social class and broader political discourses of parenting and health risks relevant to obesity. As Rich points out: “Reduced activity and poor diets are repeatedly reported as leading to escalating rates of overweight or obese populations and related mortalities resulting from associated conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, heart disease and cancers. This is asserted without reference to work which reveals that many of the ‘certainties’ populating obesity are based upon scientific evidence which others claim is either inconclusive or incorrect. Within this discourse, it is routinely declared that the health of western society is facing imminent decline unless measures are taken by individuals to eat less, lose weight and exercise more.” Furthermore: “The imperatives around ‘eating well’, exercising regularly and monitoring our bodies, carry powerful moral overtones about how individuals ought to behave. These imperatives are strongly associated with body size, such that the thin or slender body is taken to represent not only a state of ‘good health’ but also reflect control, virtue and good citizenship.” Drawing on specific examples, Rich looks at how these shows reduce the complexity of obesity to rather simplistic messages often with strong moral and judgmental overtones. These simple solutions are offered by so-called “experts”, who seldom appear to fully appreciate the reality of the participants lives. To illustrate this point, Rich cites a… Read More »
Village Faces Nightmare on ELMM-Street?
Last night I had a chance to catch up with the first episode of Village on a Diet, a new CBC “reality show” that documents the efforts of the inhabitants of Taylor, a small village in British Columbia, to lose 1 ton in 10 weeks. Frankly, I found the 45 minutes painful to watch. Not because of the magnitude of the obesity problem in this little town or because of the evidently appalling lifestyles of its inhabitants, but rather, because the approach to tackling obesity (as far as I can tell from watching one episode) appears to be entirely based on the overly simplistic formula of “eat-less-move-more” (ELMM), which we know simply does not work for the majority of people with excess weight. While the boot-camp drill-sergeant approach to chastising and chasing the unfortunate participants across fields and up hill slopes or cleaning out “junk food” from pantries and refrigerators may provide cheap voyeuristic entertainment, I have little hope that any of this will result in lasting success as far as long-term weight management is concerned. Rather than launching into a point-by-point criticism of this episode of Village on a Diet, I would like to simply refer my readers to yesterday’s scathing review by my colleague Yoni Freedhoff on his blog Weighty Matters. As one of the commenters on Freedhoff’s post so rightly points out: “Honestly, it seems like this show would actually contribute to the obesogenic environment by perpetuating the idea that exercise = pain, weight loss = deprivation, and motivation = yelling. If I was on the fence about becoming more active, imagery of a couple of buff folks yelling at me to work ’til I vomit would dissuade me right quick.“ Perhaps the show will get better – I guess we’ll see. Nevertheless, I’d certainly love to hear what my readers have to say about this show so far. If you’ve missed the episode, Canadian readers can view it here. AMS Edmonton, Alberta
Are You Living Right Now?
Last night, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation launched Live Right Now, a national 6-month, multi-platform initiative to inspire Canadians to get healthier. According to an exclusive CBC poll, Canadians say obesity is the country’s number one health issue, rating higher than any other concern-including nutrition and the state of our health care system. According to a report aired on last night’s The National, the average Canadian may well consume a whole extra meal a day in calories (not surprising, given that the vast majority of Canadians have absolutely no clue about the “currency” of body weight). You can watch the report, which features Yoni Freedhoff by clicking here. Live Right Now will be supported across all of CBC’s platforms – on radio, television and online with programs such as the following: Monday, January 3 On The National, Kelly Crowe meets a man who is striving to lose 70 pounds by his wedding in October. And Reg Sherren extends a personal challenge to a group of Canadians to get active. Tuesday, January 4 World Report on CBC Radio One, and The National look at the role sleep deprivation may or may not play in the obesity epidemic. Wednesday, January 5 CBC News Network’s Colleen Jones tells her very personal story about a recent online quest she took to diagnose a life-threatening virus. Thursday, January 6 World Report, on CBC Radio One, asks the question – Is sugar the new hidden poison? And Village on a Diet’s Dr. Ali Zentner goes grocery shopping with CBC News Network hosts Heather Hiscox and Suhana Meharchand to evaluate their food choices. At the heart of Live Right Now is an interactive online community, LiveRightNow.ca, with tips, tools, challenges and support to guide Canadians on their journey to better health. Live Right Now will also include programming such as VILLAGE ON A DIET: An 11-part television series, which follows residents of Taylor B.C. as they commit to shedding one ton of collective weight in just three months. Village On A Diet premieres Jan. 3 and airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV. THE MILLION POUND CHALLENGE – A national call-to-action, housed on LiveRightNow.ca, that will encourage Canadians to lose one million pounds of collective weight in 6 months. Canadians can pledge to lose weight, track their progress and motivate others to participate via LiveRightNow.ca. RUN RUN REVOLUTION – An experiential television and online documentary series… Read More »
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