Death threats to children — the government’s idea of public health messages

We thought the Change4Life campaign to eradicate fat children couldn’t get any worse ...

than government health officials ignoring science, the evidence, and their own health statistics, and embracing reports of fabricated predictions and compilations of opinion polls. Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health, Sir Liam Donaldson, described the “obesity timebomb” facing the UK, and obesity as the new cancer.

Then it did … in a sickening development when the Department of Health decided it was okay for fat children to be bullied.

But government health officials have found a way to stoop even lower in their sick Change4Life “healthy lifestyle” campaign. They spent $739,000 (U.S. dollars) on two 4YourKids advertisements that have been appearing in women’s weekly magazines. The ads threaten children with premature death should they eat a cupcake or play a video game.

Accompanying literature claims that nine out of ten children will grow up too fat and that even if they look healthy today, if they don’t eat “healthy” they’ll die early from heart disease, type 2 diabetes or cancer — claims not supported by sound scientific evidence. It also claims “healthy” diets and a “healthy weight” will result in longer lives — alternative beliefs also not supported by sound science.

Parents report their children have been left terrified of food. One mother told the Telegraph that her daughter had became very upset about dying when her dad served her cereal with sugar on it and that children are being “brainwashed” by exaggerated messages about healthy eating promoted in schools.

How many more examples does there have to be before the public, parents, healthcare professionals and child advocates work to put a stop to this “healthy eating and lifestyle” campaign?