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Social media will help fight childhood obesity
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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The Internet and social media could be powerful tools in the fight against childhood obesity, according to a report from the American Heart Association.
"Most kids have access to the internet," said Dr. Jennifer Lee, chief of pediatric cardiology and a research fellow at Duke University. "So we have to find a way to influence and connect with kids through social media."
A team of scientists led by Dr. Lee conducted research on studying Internet projects aimed at combating childhood obesity. According to Dr. Lee, one of the Internet programs, in which parents and nutritionists took an active part, showed good results. Researchers emphasize that traditional methods aimed at reducing excess body weight, such as visiting a doctor or participating in special programs, do not give the desired result in full and are not effective enough.
However, in addition to all the visible advantages of combating obesity through the Internet, there are also obvious disadvantages of such an innovation. In particular, we are talking about the issues of privacy of a person, prolonged exposure to a computer screen, and bullying from peers.
According to a survey of 13-17 year olds, 9 out of 10 people regularly communicate via social networks, and 51% of respondents visit their social network page every day.
Dr. Robert Pratlow, a pediatrician and MD, created Weigh2Rock more than ten years ago - a program aimed at helping children lose weight, reduce the risk of developing obesity-related diseases, and provide moral support to those in need. The program quickly became popular and in demand. The number of visitors to the site per month averages 70 thousand people. In May of last year, Dr. Pratlow took part in the European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France. He prepared a report on the possibilities of influencing children's health using social networks.
"Most kids who have weight problems keep their problems to themselves, they have no one to share their experiences with in the real world. They don't talk about the issue with their friends, teachers, or even their parents. The child simply closes off from the world and doesn't want to attract attention to themselves," says Dr. Pratlow.
The doctor also emphasizes that most teenagers who visit the Weigh2Rock website do so because they are provided with anonymity. They can communicate on forums, share their successes and failures, learn information about the fight against extra pounds and healthy eating, and at the same time not reveal their names. Many visitors to the site, according to Dr. Pratlow, visit the site in order to view the posts of other users and learn useful information for themselves.
"Often children who are overweight are left alone with their problems. With the help of Internet programs like Weigh2Rock, they can share their experiences and find understanding," say the authors of the study.
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