Andrea Weckerle

Online hostility has been around since the “early days” of online forums and message boards, but with the rise of social networking sites and the increasing ease of online participation, it’s become even more widespread.

Two years ago awareness about the issue was drawn to the forefront after the much-publicized death threats received by Kathy Sierra. Last month social media scholar dahah boyd was the target of harassment at Web 2.0 Expo. And this week the escalating battle between a mommy blog site and her anonymous critics – who have gone to great lengths to point out the meanspiritedness of some information on the mommy site by being meanspirited themselves – continues. Unfortunately there is no shortage of incidences.

(These three examples don’t even start to address the issue of cyberbullying experienced by minors, which carries additional ethical and legal complexities.)

I’m no stranger to online hostility. Like many people, I’ve been on the receiving end of my share of attacks, and in speaking out about the need for cybercivility, I’ve even, ironically, received a thinly veiled physical threat.

I wonder… when did it become an apparently accepted online norm to try to silence people by insulting, intimidating and attacking them through aggressive online behavior? When did such actions against individuals too frequently become the reaction of choice instead of engaging in spirited debate and passionate dissent? And when exactly did the rest of us agree to stand by, often turning a blind eye, and allow this to happen, instead of speaking out in vehement protest and demanding a cultural change?

Fortunately there are serious efforts underway by advocates, attorneys and concerned individuals to halt the progression of online hostility via public education about the problem, anti-cyberbullying/harassment programs and legal restraints. I proudly count myself among them.

In the coming weeks and months I’ll be speaking out more about this, as I’ve already done on my Twitter account. Stay tuned.

The pudgy contours of human infants at birth are a natural occurrence associated with extra body fat intended to increase newborns’ survival rate in times of decreased access to nourishment. But when older children still carry around the “baby fat” that looks adorable on newborns, it is a serious health problem.

Childhood obesity isn’t an issue that strikes only when adolescents explore their independence and start making their own food and lifestyle choices, it unfortunately also strikes children at a much younger age. According to the recent study “Prevalence of Obesity Among US Preschool Children in Different Racial and Ethic Groups” (Arch Pediatr Adolesc Me 2009; 163(4):344-348), the obesity prevalence of 4-year old children in the United States is a disturbing 18.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.1%-19.8%), with the ethic/racial breakdowns as follows:

American Indian/Native Alaskan, 31.2% (95% CI, 24.6%-37.8%); Hispanic, 22.0% (95% CI, 19.5%-24.5%); non-Hispanic black, 20.8% (95% CI, 17.8%-23.7%); non-Hispanic white, 15.9% (95% CI, 14.3%-17.5%); and Asian, 12.8% (95% CI, 10.0%-15.6%)

Childhood obesity can lead to a myriad of physical and psychological health problems, among them diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, low self esteem, harassment and discrimination.

Ideally parents should lead the charge in reversing this disturbing trend of obesity in children, but sometimes themselves contribute to the problem due to ignorance or their own poor health practices. Fortunately there are number of concerted efforts being made to combat childhood obesity. A select list of programs/organizations includes:

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation is a partnership between the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

It seeks to make a positive impact on children’s health via its four core initiatives — Healthy Schools Program, Industry Program (encouraging restaurants and snack companies to create healthier meals, snacks and drinks for children), Kids’ Movement, and Healthcare Program.

NUTRITION DETECTIVES® “Teaching Kids to Make Healthy Choices”

Nutrition Detectives in a nutrition education program for elementary school children where youngsters learn how to read food labels, how to identify healthy foods, and how to make wise nutritional choices.

It includes a manual/curriculum guide for teachers and a pre- and post food label quiz to measure students’ increased nutritional comprehension.

Food Dudes

The Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme, which originated in the UK and is available in six languages, is geared towards children 2-11.

It claims a high success rate in getting participating children to eat more fruits and vegetables, with equal effectiveness for boys and girls and children of all socioeconomic backgrounds. The site provides a step-by-step guide to starting a Food Dudes program.