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Do Ads Using Obese Kids to Scare Parents Go Too Far?

Do Ads Using Obese Kids to Scare Parents Go Too Far?

"Mom, why am I fat?"

"Mom, why am I fat?"

That's the grabbing question included in one new child obesity ad in Georgia. The ads are aimed at parents with overweight children. Considering nearly 40 percent of Georgia children are overweight or obese and that some are developing hypertension, the group Children's Healthcare of Atlanta chose the ads (part of the Strong4Life campaign) to grab parents' attention. But now the attention is turning into criticism from some.

"Blaming the victim rarely helps," Dr. Miriam Labbok told ABC News. "These children know they are fat and that they are ostracized already."

"While guilt and fear are motivators, they have to be meted out with the answer to the situation," she added. "The ads with the children do not offer help to them."

But Children's Healthcare of Atlanta responded that it was time for something more.

"We needed something that was more arresting and in your face than some of the flowery campaigns out there," Linda Matzigkeit, senior vice president of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, told ABC.

"If we do not wake up, this will be disastrous for our state," she added. "We are hearing parents say that it's time we do something about it."

You can watch ABC's report below:

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