Do parents with obese children deserve to lose custody?

Obesity in children

A major issue in the media at the moment is the amount of children who are morbidly obese. The issue, which has now transcended the borders of nations, is fast becoming a worldwide epidemic, and is no longer just a problem for America. And now the big question is whether child obesity is the fault of the parents and whether these children should be taken away from neglectful, irresponsible parents?

According to a report in Time magazine, the latest case to make the headlines concerns a couple from Scotland who have now lost custody of two of their six children on the basis of what was, their lawyer claims, a failure to reduce the childrens' weight, despite warnings from Scottish social services.

The case echoes that of South Carolina mom Jerri Gray, who lost custody of her 14-year-old son back in May. Her son, who weighed a ginormous 555 pounds, was removed after Gray failed to make a court date to examine whether she should retain custody after doctors expressed concern about her son's weight to social services.

The boy is now living with his aunt. His mother is facing criminal child-neglect charges.

It's fair to say that removing children from their homes remains a last resort for the authorities, but obesity experts are increasingly debating whether doing so can boost a child's chances for a healthier life.

The concern is that as childhood obesity can lead to a host of health problems, including type 2 diabetes - previously a condition seen primarily in adults - hypertension, high cholesterol and early puberty.

Dr. Dana Rofey of the University of Pittsburgh, whose weight-management clinic is regularly called on during custody battles in which one divorced parent blames the other for making a child obese claims that it is unfair to solely blame the parents.

She says contributing factors include not just genetic predisposition and socio-economic status but also environmental factors, like whether children have access to parks and playgrounds.

Rofey also sees children of all ages sneaking extra food behind their parents' backs.

On top of that, there's the issue of parents, who are sometimes obese themselves, and who can be in denial of their children's weight problems. When parents refuse to address the issue, Fry wants kids to be put in the care of professionals - with the provision that parents may visit - and that steps are taken to alter the family's diet so the child may eventually return to a healthier home.

At the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) 2009 Annual Meeting, it was discussed that in 2007, childhood obesity was identified as a child advocacy priority initiative.

They stated that although children's hospitals have responded to the obesity epidemic through the creation of obesity programs, there are currently no standardized approaches, formal mechanisms for information-sharing or collaborative models for sustainable engagement between obesity healthcare providers and administrative leaders.

To address these limitations, NACHRI established a focus group comprised of children's hospitals' obesity programs.

A list of obesity programs at children's hospitals:

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