Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida has teamed up with Disney to create something new at Epcot Center. It is an attraction called “Habit Heroes”. The insurer feels it is a fun way to give kids information about making healthy choices. Critics say that Habit Heroes is harmful to the mental health of kids who are overweight or obese.
Disney World has been called “the happiest place on earth”. Lots of kids dream of being able to take a family vacation to Disney World, (which often includes a visit to Epcot Center as well). A new, controversial, attraction at Epcot Center is something that critics say is not going to make most kids happy. It might even be harmful to their mental health.
The new attraction is called Habit Heroes. It is basically a video game that has been designed to introduce kids to ideas about healthy eating and the importance of exercise. Kids help two characters to battle against bad habits. One of these characters is a fit and trim boy named Will Power. The other is a fit and trim girl named Callie Stenics. I believe that the attraction at Epcot center requires kids to move around while they play this game, (sort of like the games on the Wii do).
The villains are cartoon like humanoid characters. All of them are obese. They have names like Lead Bottom, The Glutton, and The Snacker. The “crimes” these villains commit include things like binging on food, and avoiding exercise. Kids who are overweight are going to see that they physically resemble the villains, not the heroes.
The Habit Heroes attraction is sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. On the insurers website, on one of the pages that features Habit Heroes, it says:
“At Anthem Blue Cross, we believe that being healthy can be fun. That’s why we are a co-sponsor of the Habit Heroes exhibit at Innoventions in Epcot. Becoming a Habit Hero is a great way to kick off a lifetime of good health!”
It goes on to say:
“Our goal is to provide high-quality products and services that help you keep healthy and allow you to be a role model to those around you.”
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield sells health insurance. Perhaps if the insurer can encourage children to get exercise and stay skinny it can avoid having to insure people who have weight related health issues in the future.
It is no secret that there are a lot of obese and overweight children in the United States. Often, those are the kids that get picked on or bullied because of their weight. This can lead to low-self esteem and eating disorders. Kids who feel pressured to lose weight may choose unhealthy ways to do it, such as skipping meals.
Critics of Habit Heroes are saying that this attraction is blatant discrimination against kids who are overweight or obese. There is concern that Habit Heroes teaches an oversimplification of the causes of obesity. It takes more than willpower and calisthenics to lose weight. The game also encourages the use of “positive peer pressure” to basically force overweight people to exercise.
Image by Sam Howzit on Flickr