A North Dakota woman has decided that Halloween is the perfect time to address child obesity, and she plans to hand out letters instead of candy to trick-or-treaters she deems "moderately obese."
"I just want to send a message to the parents of kids that are really overweight... I think it's just really irresponsible of parents to send them out looking for free candy just 'cause all the other kids are doing it," the Fargo woman, identified only as "Cheryl," said in a Y-94 morning radio interview.
"I'm contributing to their health problems and really, their kids are everybody's kids. It's a whole village," Cheryl said in the interview.
The letter begins, "You are probably wondering why your child has this note. Have you ever heard the saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child'?"
It goes on to say, "You (sic) child is, in my opinion, moderately obese and should not be consuming sugar and treats to the extent of some children this Halloween season."
Dr. Katie Gordon, an assistant professor of clinical psychology who studies eating disorders, told Valley News Live the letter might hurt more than help.
"It's just that kind of thing that for some kids, if they're vulnerable, might trigger major problems," she said.
Gordon believes the matter of an individual child's weight should be left to his or her parents and pediatrician. She also noted that health can't be evaluated just by looking at a person.
"That's not something that someone can judge--the health of someone--just by looking at them. I think that's the main thing. Even if a child is overweight, they might be very healthy because of what they eat and how they exercise," said Gordon. "It's ineffective anyway because it's not likely to help the kid."
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