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Fines for child obesity


ImUrOBGYN

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I think it needs some fine-tuning. Especially the part about the school teachers being the referrers. I also worry this will inevitably target poorer families due to the availability of cheap, shitty food, much like here on the mainland. However, it's a step in the right direction in getting parents to take a more active role in the health of their children.

 

Thoughts?

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Parents of Obese Children in Puerto Rico Could Face Fines of Up to $800

 

Obesity is a significant problem in the territory

 

Parents in Puerto Rico will be fined up to $800 if their children are obese, if a bill currently being debated in the legislature is implemented.

 

Local senator Gilberto Rodríguez stated that the bill was aimed at improving children’s health and enabling parents to make better health choices, the Guardian reported.

 

Under the proposed bill, schoolteachers would refer potential obesity cases to a counselor, who would then work with the parents of the child to create a diet and exercise program monitored by monthly visits. Failure to show improvement within six months to a year could result in fines of between $500 and $800 for the parents.

 

Obesity is a significant problem in the small island territory, with over 28% of youngsters reportedly defined as obese. However, several doctors, including the Puerto Rico chapter president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, have called the initiative unfair.

 

http://time.com/3704528/puerto-rico-obese-children-parents-fine/?xid=newsletter-brief

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Eating healthy is expensive. Fining people on a low income for a fat kid makes a whole lotta sense.

 

Why is this such a misconception? Eating healthy is NOT expensive. I can cook my GF and i healthy meal for under 4 bucks. You cant get much for 4 bucks at any fast food establishment. Fresh produce is cheap if you know where to look. Buy whats on sale for the week and eat that.

 

Healthy =/= organic.

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Why is this such a misconception? Eating healthy is NOT expensive. I can cook my GF and i healthy meal for under 4 bucks. You cant get much for 4 bucks at any fast food establishment. Fresh produce is cheap if you know where to look. Buy whats on sale for the week and eat that.

 

Healthy =/= organic.

 

Site your source please. Where can you purchase ingredients for a proper meal for 2 people (including quality protein) for $4/person, consistently? Please post this meal.

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Why is this such a misconception? Eating healthy is NOT expensive. I can cook my GF and i healthy meal for under 4 bucks. You cant get much for 4 bucks at any fast food establishment. Fresh produce is cheap if you know where to look. Buy whats on sale for the week and eat that.

 

Healthy =/= organic.

 

This needs some perspective around it.

 

I was standing it line at the store yesterday and I look down and there are two different items in front of me.

 

Sugar coated gummy worms, and almonds.

 

Gummy worms were $3.99/lb. Almonds were $8.99/lb.

 

I can get 2-3 tacos at taco bell for what 1 bunch of organic carrots costs.

 

"Organic' chicken is 3x what chicken pumped with growth hormones and antibiotics cost.

 

Fundamentally, there is a big issue with that.

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As long as FDA passes food production on unhealthy products, this won't stand. And you can't effectively fine those who can't afford food to begin with. The knowledge generation gap is too big to believe current young adults even know how to be healthy, or raise a healthy child. Schools will have to reemphasize and mandate increased activity to promote health. This will result in kids complaining, parents taking their side, and a doctors note limiting the child's ability to exercise supported by false asthma symptoms or the like.

 

Taxing fat will never work.

 

Give tax breaks for current medical check ups showing you are healthy. Then, obesity may have a motivator. But then again, why should people be given benefits for what they should be doing anyways?

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Why is this such a misconception? Eating healthy is NOT expensive. I can cook my GF and i healthy meal for under 4 bucks. You cant get much for 4 bucks at any fast food establishment. Fresh produce is cheap if you know where to look. Buy whats on sale for the week and eat that.

 

Healthy =/= organic.

 

I'm wealthy enough to live within walking distance of a frickin' Whole Foods! Such luxury. And if I don't want expensive organic shit, I can drive 2 minutes over to Kroger and get all the cheap produce I want.

 

But that's still because I can afford to live in a nice suburb. When I was in southeast DC I'd look for a grocery store within a 10 minute drive and.... shit, that's pretty hard. Fortunately we had the commissary, otherwise we were gonna be sitting in traffic. And of course, we'd sit in traffic because we could afford cars, otherwise we'd take a bus to the subway station to go to the Safeway on the other side of the river.

 

Furthermore, I work a nice 9-5 office job and my wife stays at home, so we have oodles of time to prepare our fresh veggies, another luxury that many people don't have.

 

I'm sure Columbus isn't as bad as Anacostia, but the concept of food deserts is nothing new. If you want food in many areas, you go to the corner store, and generally what's there is a bunch of garbage with an 80% markup. Or if you live in the hills, you drive 30 minutes into town because Super Wal-Mart has shut down your local grocer.

 

So in a sense, you're right. Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive, and anyone dedicated enough to the cause could probably pull it off. But it's just a lot harder for poor people, so on top of everything else they're dealing with, dumping this "incentive" on them without fixing the root of the problem seems destined to make things worse.

 

(I've no idea if any of the above applies to Puerto Rico.)

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Site your source please. Where can you purchase ingredients for a proper meal for 2 people (including quality protein) for $4/person, consistently? Please post this meal.

 

I think one needs to determine what constitutes a "proper" meal.

 

Since watching Forks over Knives, I have cut my meat intake back even further. I like a good bison fillet every now and then, but I really just don't eat a ton of meat.

 

To his point, if you and one other person like rice and beans, you can make a kick butt dish on the cheap that is going to give you plenty of nutrients, and for probably right around $4. Beans aren't expensive if you buy them raw and soak/cook them in house instead of buying the canned crap. The spices don't cost much, neither do raw onions and garlic, nor rice. I use shallots because they are very good for you, and garlic does a great job at fighting cancer is prepared properly. Toss in some diced bell pepper or jalapeno if you want, some tomato...whatever, and you have a pretty healthy meal on the cheapness.

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Site your source please. Where can you purchase ingredients for a proper meal for 2 people (including quality protein) for $4/person, consistently? Please post this meal.

 

Vegetarian or Chicken chili is pretty cheap per serving. Gumbo is the same. You can make your own salad for almost nothing if you buy everything separately. You can throw any type of protein on a salad.

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Site your source please. Where can you purchase ingredients for a proper meal for 2 people (including quality protein) for $4/person, consistently? Please post this meal.

 

 

  • Chicken is cheap. $5 and you can cook up enough for a family of four
  • Fresh Brocc $1.30 or any veggy is relatively cheap. Can shit if you can't afford fresh Feed said family.
  • Two-four Apples, baked with cinnamon.and raisins makes a healthy sweet treat. Healthy and cheap. $1.50
  • Loaf of bread for grain intake is relatively cheap too. $1.50
  • Water. Fat or poor kids don't need soda or sugar laden drinks.

That's less than $10 for a family of four. Inflate the prices however you want.

 

 

Rice and pasta are great cheap side dishes and can be had for cheap too

Beans, healthy and cheap

Steal cut oats and fruit for breakfast. Toss in some nuts or whatever you want for protein.

 

 

In the end it's all about good choices. I'm not a position to have to penny pinch or budget for food at all, but I also don't go crazy stupid on wasting money for poor quality stuff. No sugar cereals or crap at our house.

 

 

 

Kids aren't fat, wife is skinny and my weight....it's because I travel with a healthy sized expense budget all the time :gabe:

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I think fining people isn't the right way to do it, but it's good motivation.

 

Eating healthy is cheaper than eating unhealthy. You don't have to buy at Whole Foods or just organic to be eating healthier. I can make chicken and rice with a side, water/juice for about $8 for me and my son (and still have leftovers), but go to McDonalds, two chicken nugget meals would run closer to $10.

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Rolled oats with blueberries for breakfast

 

20 almonds for a snack (8 almonds is close to one serving)

 

PB and banana sandwich for lunch

 

Spinach salad for after lunch snack

 

Chicken pasta for dinner

 

Easy meals for the day that can cost you less than your one meal at a typical restaurant.

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I'm All for it.

 

Start fining obese adults while were at it :nod: :thumbup:

 

IMO it's not about fining those that are fat but rewarding those that are not. Our company rewards those that are healthy and participate in healthy lifestyle activities. Smokers and fatties.....pay their own and it's not cheap and don't' get the benefits.

 

I say the same thing can be done here. Create a system that rewards those that are healthy leaving the rest to pay for their sins. Pay the performers works better than punishing the non performers. In the end isn't that what we're really looking to do?

 

works for employees, customers, kids, etc....I think we need to do the same thing in schools. Parents need to become more involved and help their kids. Be a God Damn Parent already. Don't do that and then IMO they should pay more taxes to cover the cost of teachers and schools who are essentially raising these kids.

 

Sorry....OT Rant.

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IMO it's not about fining those that are fat but rewarding those that are not. Our company rewards those that are healthy and participate in healthy lifestyle activities. Smokers and fatties.....pay their own and it's not cheap and don't' get the benefits.

 

I say the same thing can be done here. Create a system that rewards those that are healthy leaving the rest to pay for their sins. Pay the performers works better than punishing the non performers. In the end isn't that what we're really looking to do?

 

works for employees, customers, kids, etc....I think we need to do the same thing in schools. Parents need to become more involved and help their kids. Be a God Damn Parent already. Don't do that and then IMO they should pay more taxes to cover the cost of teachers and schools who are essentially raising these kids.

 

Sorry....OT Rant.

 

I agree with you.

 

That would be amazing if the gov. Along with companies Rewarded those who strive to be healthy. I'm 100% behind it.

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IMO it's not about fining those that are fat but rewarding those that are not. Our company rewards those that are healthy and participate in healthy lifestyle activities. Smokers and fatties.....pay their own and it's not cheap and don't' get the benefits.

 

Just curious about how your company defines 'healthy', what kicks you to the lower or higher premium?

 

I've seen a couple try and they are 'ok' at best, bad in some cases. A previous company started doing cheaper ins premiums for yearly check ups and not smoking. But if you were 'unhealthy' by the results, that was still ok. They had talked about having one of the criteria be anyone 'overweight' by BMI standards paid more. :dumb:

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