I'm sure these anecdotes are true. But is it true because this behaviour is immutable or is it because there has been no serious attempt to change it? For instance why not teach how to be healthy in primary school and in society generally? The US and other countries have a high incidence of Type 2 diabetes largely because of over consumption of sugar. This is a social issue. I saw this very clearly when I took my family to the US for three months many years ago and we visited one om my colleagues for Thanksgiving. Our host's wife was astonished when my children asked for a drink of water, she asked them several times if they would not prefer a sweet fizzy drink. But my children were thirsty and knew that water was the best remedy.
> But is it true because this behaviour is immutable or is it because there has been no serious attempt to change it?
Humans conform to the norms around them. This was an evolutionary advantage. That is, "Look at them, they're still alive. I'll do that as well."
That's detrimental in modern times. Doc says, "You're overweight. Drop 20 lbs." You might says "yes" and then you leave, walk thru the waiting area, and see everyone is 40+ lbs too heavy. Consciously and sub-consciously you think "Nah. I'm good look at *them*." This is further exasperated by broader cultural norms. Fat shaming might be bad, agreed. But out-of-shapeness has been normalized, championed, and celebrated. There's also a lack of transparency (read: honesty). The extra weight is said to be perfectly fine. It's not. It comes with plenty of implications and complications.
A great positive example of socialized behavior is smoking. It was marginalized and slowly became less and less "popular". In theory that could work with "fitness" but suggesting obesity is bad will get you canceled. There's no socially acceptable way to stop the cycle. And Big Pharma is happy for this.
P.s. Kudos for teaching your children well. Sadly, you're the minority.
