Taking the Steps
Tired of having the problem of childhood obesity laid at its doorstep, McDonald's is taking (the) steps to reshape its image: it is going to start offering step classes in its restaurant's playplaces.
Mcdonald's is getting serious about childhood obesity--to the point where it is considering replacing play areas in thousands of its restaurants with kids' gyms where young customers can burn off their Happy Meals. The new R-Gyms--where R stands for Ronald--would replace the slide-centric PlayPlaces with a setup offering sports-oriented activities such as stationary exercise bikes, rope climbing and other aerobic activities for kids up to 12 years of age.
While counter staff and fry cooks are not expected do double as aerobics instructors, they getting training in how to promote the R-gym concept: They are now to ask children under 12, "Do you want exercise with that shake? "
Commentary
Not surprisingly, skeptics and company critics are non-plussed about the R-gym concept:
But Susan Linn, a psychologist at the Harvard Medical School and the co-founder of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, predicted the mini-gyms won't do much to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. 'It takes hours to work off the calories from a Big Mac,' said Linn. 'What it does is make it appear as if McDonald's is addressing the issue. But they are not.' 'What McDonald's needs to do is stop marketing junk food to children and stop sending Ronald McDonald into schools,' said Linn, arguing that Ronald McDonald promotes the restaurant at the same time he is encouraging reading or some other program.
So the program is far from perfect, but does that mean it can't do some good? Isn't it possible that it can help encourage and appetite for exercise for kids? Someone should study the initiative and see how it works out rather than pronouncing it DOA. What does the Professor expect, an iRon(ald) Man Triathlon?