A few months back, the state of Georgia, which has the second highest rate of childhood obesity in the U.S., rolled out an ad campaign to identify and raise awareness of the growing issue of childhood obesity.

Featuring images of overweight boys and girls looking somber on billboards and online videos, the messages themselves are serious and sober. The signs read: “Chubby kids may not outlive their parents” and “Big bones didn’t make me this way. Big meals did.” 

The Georgia Children’s Health Alliance which was behind the creation of the ads said it was necessary to bring the realization of their kids’ issues to the parents—even at the cost of being harsh and insensitive with their slogans. There’s been much backlash from organizations like The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, which states that “Billboards depicting fat kids are extraordinarily harmful to the very kids they are supposedly trying to help.”

With one in three American children overweight or obese, it’s a problem that is still ongoing. And especially now as we enter into the holiday season (or the season of over-indulgence, if you will), it’s a subject matter that will be on the minds of many parents—whether from Georgia or not.

What are your thoughts about the anti-obesity campaign? And as a parent, how do you make sure to help make sure your children are combating obesity?