New Year’s Resolutions

Sean Palfrey, MD & Robert Sege, MD

Boston Medical Center & the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

One year ago, the country was stunned by the shooting at Sandy Hook School. Many of us spent the shattered holiday season trying to make sense of how such a tragedy could happen here and what we should do about it. One year later, we have gained little insight, have argued over many possible solutions but agreed on few, and have done little of substance to reduce the possibility that such an event could happen again.

But there are important resolutions we can all make this New Year to our families, our communities and our country in memory of the 20 children killed in Newtown and the thousands of other children killed by gun violence since then across this country.

The first resolution is to make our own families safer. Most parents safety-proof their homes when their children are small, putting knives away and getting poisons like drain cleaners and rat poisons locked up or out of the house. But as our children grow, explore, experiment and act, sometimes impulsively and sometimes intentionally dangerously, we have to continuously upgrade our safety measures. We need to store all potentially life-threatening things, such as guns, bullets and explosives, far out of reach. For greatest safety, they should be out of all homes and out of our daily lives.

The second resolution is to help all members of our community be safe. Homes, schools and workplaces can all be very stressful. Many people at risk of harming themselves or others may seem calm much of the time, but they may not be inside. We know normal children can be naughty and teens will act in risky ways, but we can all  recognize when someone crosses the line and shows truly dangerous behaviors – bullies, challenges, insults, hurts people, harms animals, is a mean drunk or surrenders to drugs that destroy their self-control. Each of us, their families, friends, teachers, and doctors must have the courage and wisdom to identify and help these people on the edge before they strike out and hurt anyone, or many. Professionals are available and waiting to help.

The third resolution is to make our country safer. We have the power and responsibility to speak out to our legislators and ask them to help us build a safer country. Since the Newtown massacre a number of states have acted to require background checks before gun sales and ban military-style assault weapons, but other states are moving in the opposite direction. These are issues that need broad state and national action, and it is the job of our legislators to act on our behalf. Let them know that the lives of our children and friends really matter to us and that they must act to safeguard them.

In memory of the children who died this past year we can at least make these basic New Year’s resolutions to save the lives of our children in coming years.

Let’s Co-Opt Powerful Food Marketing Strategies to Help Parents Raise Healthier Eaters

By Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, FAAP

When my son turned 3, we took a big gamble for his birthday “treat” at preschool. We didn’t bring cupcakes, brownies, or cookies. We didn’t even bring 100% fruit popsicles or juice. Instead, the night before his birthday my veggie-hating child and I sat down together, cutting up pineapple, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes; arranging blackberries, blueberries, and black olives; and generally having a great time getting ready for his birthday together. I smiled big but secretly fretted. Was I setting my son up to be the laughing stock of his preschool? Would he even eat his own birthday snack?

Our concoction turned into a beautiful array of Sesame Street characters – a blueberry and blackberry Cookie Monster, pineapple Big Bird, cherry tomato Elmo, broccoli and olive Oscar the Grouch. The experiment was a success. The three- and four-year-olds, my son included, were eager to gobble up their Sesame Street friends. This test capitalized on what even the most novice food marketers know well – the way to a child’s mouth is through his heart – in particular with beloved characters, sure to make any given food more exciting.

Unfortunately, this insight typically goes towards marketing unhealthy food, with 98% of food ads for kids consisting of pure junk. A recent report from Yale Rudd Center found that in 2012, the fast food industry spent $4.6 billion marketing mostly unhealthy product to kids. Unlike other developed and wealthy nations, the U.S. has done disgustingly little to regulate manipulative advertising to kids, and despite bold promises to self-regulate, the food industry has done a lousy job.

In an effort to counter junk food marketing, last month Let’s Move joined with Sesame Street to announce a campaign to promote fresh fruits and vegetables to kids. Starting in mid-2014, the Produce Marketing Association and its growers, suppliers, and retailers will get to use the Sesame Street characters’ likeness to promote fresh fruits and vegetables!

My own mini-experiment and real peer-reviewed research suggest that this strategy will work! For example, one study showed that simply placing an Elmo sticker on an apple doubled the number of kids who would choose an apple over cookies. By rearranging vegetables and fruits in a way that appeals to kids’ imaginations, an “I-won’t-touch-anything-green” kid eagerly reached over to take a bit of the dirty, grouchy, and oh-so-loveable broccoli Oscar at my son’s birthday party.

As pediatricians and vocal advocates in the media and online, we need to not only continue to push for commonsense restrictions on advertising to kids and put pressure on celebrities, corporations, and organizations who engage in tactics to get our kids to prefer junk but also support efforts to promote healthy foods, such as Let's Move's partnership with Elmo and Rosita.

Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RD, FAAP practices general pediatrics at Pediatric Medical Associates in Vista, California and is Healthcare Solutions Director at the American Council on Exercise. She is author of the book “Eat Your Vegetables! and Other Mistakes Parents Make: Redefining How to Raise Healthy Eaters” (Healthy Learning, 2012) which aims to help empower parents to set their kids up for lifelong healthy habits, without the mealtime battles.