- Take fat kids into care, say experts
- By Matt Johnston
- The Herald Sun
- 02/02/2009 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: The Rooster ( 258 articles in 2009 )
CHILD protection authorities should take fat kids into care, experts say, citing a 110cm 40kg four-year-old girl who watched TV for six hours a day.
"Jade", a girl actually comprised of several real cases also had tantrums when she was denied food, a report in the Medical Journal of Australia says.
The example has obesity experts calling on child protection authorities to take extremely obese children from parents who allow them to become too fat.
And a leading child psychologist in Melbourne has backed the call, saying that parents who allow children to become morbidly obese are guilty of child abuse.
In Jade's case welfare authorities intervened, when the efforts of health workers, and a "family-focused" program failed to stop or reverse the child's weight gain.
Child protection authorities forced the girl onta a diet and physical activity program that had her losing weight.
Dr Shirley Alexander and colleagues from Westmead Children's Hospital in NSW wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia that doctors were duty-bound to report cases of extreme neglect, which includes extreme weight-gain.
"We argue that in a sufficiently extreme case, notification of child protection services may be an appropriate professional response," Dr Alexander wrote.
The article discusses anonymous case studies where a child was taken from parents after failing to lose weight.
The child was placed in care and given diet and exercise programs that resulted in weight loss.
"The family was unable to stop or reverse the child's weight gain, and child protection authorities were finally notified when the child's health worsened," Dr Alexander wrote.
Dr Alexander said the number of obese children had doubled or tripled in many countries in recent years, and doctors needed to act.
She said that to not do so would breach a doctor's duty of care.
A careful decision would need to be made on what would be the greatest benefit for the child, she said.
She also noted the ethical dilemmas and the risk of family alienation.
"We must ensure that we protect any child whose health is at serious risk through medical neglect, including where this is the result of severe and untreated obesity," she said.
Melbourne child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said child protection authorities should be notified because leaving children to become obese was, in his view, "a form of child abuse".
"Given the sociological and psychological consequences of that form of obesity, I don't actually have a problem with that (taking children from parents) because in some instances we are condemning some children to a life of health problems . . . basically an early death."
Mr Carr-Gregg said taking children from their parents should only be done in extreme cases.
"We are talking here about what psychologists and medical people call morbid obesity. This is the threshold where this sort of thing should kick in, that's not unreasonable," he said.
"Jade", a girl actually comprised of several real cases also had tantrums when she was denied food, a report in the Medical Journal of Australia says.
The example has obesity experts calling on child protection authorities to take extremely obese children from parents who allow them to become too fat.
And a leading child psychologist in Melbourne has backed the call, saying that parents who allow children to become morbidly obese are guilty of child abuse.
In Jade's case welfare authorities intervened, when the efforts of health workers, and a "family-focused" program failed to stop or reverse the child's weight gain.
Child protection authorities forced the girl onta a diet and physical activity program that had her losing weight.
Dr Shirley Alexander and colleagues from Westmead Children's Hospital in NSW wrote in the Medical Journal of Australia that doctors were duty-bound to report cases of extreme neglect, which includes extreme weight-gain.
"We argue that in a sufficiently extreme case, notification of child protection services may be an appropriate professional response," Dr Alexander wrote.
The article discusses anonymous case studies where a child was taken from parents after failing to lose weight.
The child was placed in care and given diet and exercise programs that resulted in weight loss.
"The family was unable to stop or reverse the child's weight gain, and child protection authorities were finally notified when the child's health worsened," Dr Alexander wrote.
Dr Alexander said the number of obese children had doubled or tripled in many countries in recent years, and doctors needed to act.
She said that to not do so would breach a doctor's duty of care.
A careful decision would need to be made on what would be the greatest benefit for the child, she said.
She also noted the ethical dilemmas and the risk of family alienation.
"We must ensure that we protect any child whose health is at serious risk through medical neglect, including where this is the result of severe and untreated obesity," she said.
Melbourne child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg said child protection authorities should be notified because leaving children to become obese was, in his view, "a form of child abuse".
"Given the sociological and psychological consequences of that form of obesity, I don't actually have a problem with that (taking children from parents) because in some instances we are condemning some children to a life of health problems . . . basically an early death."
Mr Carr-Gregg said taking children from their parents should only be done in extreme cases.
"We are talking here about what psychologists and medical people call morbid obesity. This is the threshold where this sort of thing should kick in, that's not unreasonable," he said.
Source: https://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24995715-2862,00.html
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