Do As I Say [ ? ] As I Do

We've all heard the saying from our own parents, and if you're a parent yourself, you've undoubtedly said it as well: Do as I say, NOT as I do!

But while I've said it before (in fact, just last night when Frank said "Jesus Christ!" in frustration over a broken toy), it's not fair. If we want our children to behave in a certain way, we need to behave that way as well. Though it often doesn't feel like they're listening, deep down we know our kids watch how we act, speak and treat the world around us incredibly closely. And they naturally emulate us.

If we expect something out of them, we better be showing them the way:

Do as I say, AND as I do!

And vs not: a small but incredibly significant and meaningful difference. And as it relates to health, we would do our children a real service to formally and permanently revise this well-known phrase.

Why?

Well, according to the AHA, roughly one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963. Among children today, obesity is causing a broad range of health problems that previously weren’t seen until adulthood. These include high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol levels. The saddest part of these statistics, and why we need to be more serious about how we behave in front of our kids, is the role that we as parents are playing in them. According to the US Department of Health & Human Services, if you're overweight or obese, your child's chances of following the same fate are between 25 to 50 percent. And if the child's other parent is also overweight, the chances shoot up to 75 percent. We work so hard to give our kids the best possible chance for success, and yet many of us seem to be giving them the best possible chance for chronic illness.

If you need more to ponder, consider the psychological effects of childhood obesity: low self-esteem, negative body image and depression. To think this psychological suffering is caused mostly by preventable physical issues is all the more depressing. But here's the encouraging part! These physical issues and therefore their psychological brethren are also REVERSIBLE.

If we were forced every day to say to our kids "do as I say, and as I do," how might we change our behavior around food and exercise?

CVS Also Sells Doritos

Will they be pulling those off the shelves as well?

I've been debating about writing this post ever since the news came out that CVS will no longer sell cigarettes come October. While I find it insane that it took until 2014 for a company that claims it's in healthcare to make this decision, I must applaud the move nonetheless, and desperately hope it will inspire other companies to follow suit. It's true that this move is only going to cost them a small percentage of revenue, but it's still billions of dollars - not an insignificant decision at all. So part of me wanted to let the good roll, and not point out that if it wants to continue calling itself a healthcare company, CVS should take a look at its other aisles as well.

But then I happened upon the latest obesity reports and I couldn't help myself.

Last year, I wrote an encouraging post about America's health trajectory - we were enjoying a two-year pattern (if you can call two years a pattern) of obesity rate declines in 2011 and 2012. The Pollyanna in me fully expected to see the trend continue into 2013, but unfortunately, we went in the opposite direction and are now at an all-time high of 27.2%. 27.2%?!

Tobacco has long been recognized as a killer: this latest report from the World Health Organization cites it as responsible for 33% of cancer cases in the U.S.  But guess what? Bad diet, obesity and physical inactivity rings in as a close second at 28%, and I can only imagine these figures are going to flip-flop at some point as smoking rates have steadily declined for decades - and obesity rates have steadily inclined. Have you looked at the food CVS sells lately? Chips, soda and candy make up the vast majority. Yes, cigarettes cause alarming amounts of cancer. But too much of these foods do too, in increasing amounts. In fact, new cancer cases worldwide are expected to skyrocket over the next two decades from 14 million in 2012 to over 22 million - all while smoking, the current leading cause of cancer, will likely decline. Ponder that for a bit.

I eat Doritos from time to time. I eat candy from time to time. I'm not writing this to tell everyone to swear off this stuff forever. (For my perspective on moderation, refer back to my 90/10 post.) But if CVS is truly serious about positioning itself as a health care company, and not just looking for a jump in brand equity measures, then it should put its money where its mouth is and do a full store inventory.