Reference no: EM1382265

This article makes me think about our national problem with obesity. Let's say a three hundred pound man goes to the doctor. He explains that he has no control over his diet. He eats too much food and the type of food that he eats is generally fried or sweet and his high in cholesterol, saturated fats and caffeine. After hearing the list of terrible eating habits the doctor says to him, "I think you should read this book about how to prevent obesity and also I want you to start drinking diet Coke instead of regular Coke."

We would be outraged if a doctor took such a flippant attitude toward a patient who should be treated with respect and dignity. We all know that proper exercise and a balanced diet is the key to losing weight and being physically fit. How would we react if the doctor replied to our anger by saying, "We all know that this man is going to eat what he isn't supposed to eat. It is ridiculous to think that we can change his behavior. What we need is more obesity education and we also need to offer him some protection from his bad choices. That is why I switched him from regular Coke to diet Coke."

Do you realize that is exactly the strategy we are employing with our teenagers regarding their sexual choices? We see our teens leading physically and emotionally destructive lifestyles. Broken families cause low self-esteem. Low self-esteem leads teens to seek acceptance and fulfillment from their peer group. Their peer group encourages them to try drugs, binge drinking and sexual exploration.