Return to Table of Contents

Public Relations and Public Education
 

Marketing

PR & PE Task Force:
Elaine Rodino, Ph.D. Chair and Internet Coordinator
Sandra Haber, Ph.D. Bulletin Coordinator
Other Committee Members: Jeffrey Barnett, Psy.D., Dorothy Cantor, Psy.D., Lillian Comas-Diaz, Ph.D., Arthur Kovacs, Ph.D., Jana martin, Ph.D., Patricia Pimental, Psy.D.
Professional Staff: Kelly Cunningham
Principal, ImPRessions public relations
 
 
According to a recent report by t372U.S. Surgeon General, 61% of A183icans are now significantly overweight, compared with 55% in the early 1990s, and 46% in the late 1970s. Obesity generates $117 billion in annual medical bills and triggers 300,000 premature deaths each year. So many Americans are now overweight that one attorney is actually suing the junk-food industry for making Americans obese!

Americans now spend more on fast food than they do on movies, books, magazines, newspapers videos and recorded music combined. They spend more on mass-produced burgers than on higher education, or computers, or cars. More than 90% of American children eat at McDonald’s at least once a month, and the average American eats three hamburgers and four orders of fries every week according to Fast Food Nation.

Restaurants and food companies have a vested economic interest in making tasty food and in increasing per capita consumption. In this country, food is delicious, cheap, and readily available. Combine that with some individual’s need to use food to fill emptiness, provide good feelings, and soothe all kinds of upsets, and it is no wonder that our average weight keeps increasing. Many people need psychological help to confront the reasons for their recourse to food and to bring their consumption patterns into a saner balance.

As a member of the Psychologists in Independent Practice, a Division of the American Psychological Association (APA), I would be happy to speak with you on this subject. I will discuss how a psychologist
 
 

Return to Top

tml>/td>

#006633" width="75">   

Return to Top

tml>

Return to Top

Return to Top

Return to Top

tml>bgcolor="#006633" width="75" valign="bottom"> 

Return to Top

d width="40">

bgcol or="#00

• Look at the temperament, stage of development, and environment of your child. Do not compare your chil his/her siblings. There is a range&nb

sp;of what is normal. Talk with other parents. 

• Do set norms. Children need to learn to be

more self-contained and “grown up” ; even if the learning is accompanied by some tension. 

• Keep the rules simple.

& ick your battles and limit them to the most important things.

• Remember that y

our child may need several trials before learning a new task. Be patient. Give prompts BEFORE the toddler w engaging in an activity that
  • Look at the temperament, stage of development, and environment of your child. Do not compare your child with his/her siblings. There is a range of what is normal. Talk with other parents. 
  • Do set norms. Children need to learn to be more self-contained and “grown up” even if the learning is accompanied by some tension. 
  • Keep the rules simple.
  • Pick your battles and limit them to the most important things.
  • Remember that your child may need several trials before learning a new task. Be patient. Give prompts BEFORE the toddler will be engaging in an activity that is being learned (e.g., “Now remember to put your napkin in your lap when you sit down for dinner.”) 
  • Be a good role model. If you want a toddler/child to behave in certain ways, it is very important that parents also behave in these ways. Modeling is a large part of what children learn. 
  • Acknowledge and reward good behavior and efforts, over and over again. And try to show the child how to comply and please you rather than scolding or punishing for “bad” behavior (e.g., “How wonderful! You sat in the market cart for a long time while Daddy pushed it around, and you listened without crying when I told you that you could not have the candy. That was hard! Way to go!) 
  • Use resources. Remember that parents don’t have to go it alone. Psychologists are frequently contacted to assist parents with common problems such as: 
  • how to get a toddler to sleep through the night in his or her own room
  • how to get a child to be more flexible and to deal with shifts in focus
  • how to get a child to listen or obey and help the parents with child versus parental control issues is b e candy. That was hard! Way to go!) 

    • Use resources. Remember that parents don’t have to go it alone. Psychologists are frequently contacted to assist parents with common problems such as: 

    • how to get a toddler to sleep through the night in his or her own room

    • how to get a child to be more flexible and to deal with shifts in focus

    • how to get a child to listen or obey and help the parents with child versus parental control issues

       

    Return to Top