Dear Editor:
As a licensed clinical social worker who has been in the field of eating disorder treatment for many years, I must respond to the editorial cartoon in the Sept. 29 paper. Mr. Dyke has made his contempt for adults and children of size abundantly clear in the past. Now he is belittling the research that is being done, blaming weight problems on personal responsibility.
Copious amounts of scientific research refutes this idea, linking weight to genetics, environmental toxins and socioeconomic contaminants, among other things. The act of dieting for weight loss has also been implicated in weight gain.
Weight stigma, shaming and bullying, like this cartoon, have been linked to worse health behaviors and health outcomes, and an increase in eating disorders. If Dyke is truly interested in health, for individuals and for America, and not just the affront to his own personal aesthetics, he might want to educate himself about the issue. A good start would be to read "The Weight-Inclusive versus Weight-Normative Approach to Health: Evaluating the Evidence for Prioritizing Well-Being over Weight Loss," recently published in the Journal of Obesity, and found online here: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2014/983495/