Senator Tammy Baldwin's office issued the following:
10.4.19
Pediatricians and eating disorder experts warn that Kurbo’s design is filled with red flags
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Richard
Blumenthal (D-CT) wrote to the CEO of WW, formerly known as Weight
Watchers, to call on the company to immediately pull Kurbo—its
potentially harmful dieting app designed for children as young as eight
years old—from the marketplace. Since the app was launched, numerous
pediatric specialists and eating disorder experts have raised concerns
that Kurbo’s poor implementation and design, such as the inclusion of
before-and-after photos and a focus on weight reduction rather than
nutrition, could put a child’s mental and physical health at risk.
“Childhood obesity is a medical crisis in the United States, and
it is imperative that pediatricians and medical professionals, including
those with expertise on eating disorders, guide decisions parents and
children and making about healthy eating habits. An app like Kurbo, in
conjunction with this lack of relevant medical expertise, has the
potential to contribute to eating disorders that plague children,
adolescents, and adults across the country. Simply put, Kurbo has no
place in the hands of children and we ask that you withdraw the app from
the marketplace,” wrote the Senators.
“According to pediatricians and eating disorder experts, Kurbo’s design is filled with red flags,” wrote the Senators. “Unfortunately,
Kurbo’s system lacks necessary medical support and oversight for
children that could provide nutritional guidance, tips on healthy habits
overall, and properly discern, on a situation to situation basis, if it
may or may not be appropriate for a child to be seeking to address
his/her weight.”
The Senators warn that “Kurbo’s use of before-and-after
photos, as well as the use of BMI and weight loss results tells children
that they deserve to feel successful only if their BMI or weight drops,
or if they look like the child Kurbo had featured, implying that their
appearance and the number on the scale is more highly valued their
health or character. This emphasis on losing weight directly contrasts
expert advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in 2016 that
parents should steer their children clear of dieting and avoid specific
discussions on weight.”
“Eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental health condition,” the Senators note. “Unfortunately,
adolescents who engage in dieting are five times more likely than their
peers to develop an eating disorder, meaning that Kurbo’s consumers are
at a particularly high risk.
“There is no question that childhood obesity is a devastating
health issue, but WW has seemingly disregarded the medical advice of
pediatricians and eating disorder experts, as well as the health of the
millions of children who could be at risk of, or currently suffer from,
an eating disorder. There are more responsible ways to address the
childhood obesity epidemic that do not expose children to so much
potential harm. A child’s confidence, mental and physical health, and
lifelong relationship with food is invaluable,” wrote the Senators.
The full letter is available below and
here.
October 3, 2019
Ms. Mindy Grossman
WW CEO
675 Sixth Avenue
Sixth Floor
New York, New York 10011
Dear Ms. Mindy Grossman,
We write to you today with grave concern regarding the recent release
of your app, “Kurbo by WW.” Kurbo, much like WW, formerly Weight
Watchers, is an app-based program designed to spur behavior change
resulting in weight loss. However, unlike WW, Kurbo is designed to
target children as young as eight years old. While parents can pay for a
coach to provide guidance to their children, these coaches are not
medical professionals. Childhood obesity is a medical crisis in the
United States, and it is imperative that pediatricians and medical
professionals, including those with expertise on eating disorders, guide
decisions parents and children and making about healthy eating habits.
An app like Kurbo, in conjunction with this lack of relevant medical
expertise, has the potential to contribute to eating disorders that
plague children, adolescents, and adults across the country. Simply put,
Kurbo has no place in the hands of children and we ask that you
withdraw the app from the marketplace.
According to pediatricians and eating disorder experts, Kurbo’s
design is filled with red flags. The website and app feature “success
stories” boasting the weight lost and BMI of each participating child.
Before-and-after photos are also featured on Kurbo’s blog. Kurbo’s use
of before-and-after photos, as well as the use of BMI and weight loss
results tells children that they deserve to feel successful only if
their BMI or weight drops, or if they look like the child Kurbo had
featured, implying that their appearance and the number on the scale is
more highly valued their health or character. This emphasis on losing
weight directly contrasts expert advice from the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) in 2016 that parents should steer their children clear
of dieting and avoid specific discussions on weight. Instead, AAP
advises parents to focus on body positivity, exercise, and healthy
habits to address obesity.
This trend continues within Kurbo. Upon registering, children over 13
years old, and children under 13, in conjunction with their parents,
are steered into a questionnaire that prompts them to choose a reason
for joining, among which options include: “Achieve a healthier weight,”
and “Boost my confidence.” Kurbo was more direct initially, including
options such as, “Lose weight,” “Feel better in my clothes,” and “Make
parents happy.” By using this questionnaire, Kurbo is once again
demonstrating that they are disregarding AAP’s advice and focusing on
weight loss as a goal.
Children are also instructed to track their weight and any food or
drink they consume within the app. Foods are classified into a traffic
light system that defines foods as red, yellow, and green. “Red foods”
include sweets, but also foods like full-fat cheese and crackers.
“Yellow foods” include chicken, beans, rice, and other starches or lean
proteins. The only “green foods” are fruits and vegetables. In an
attempt to demystify the system and provide guidance, Kurbo offers a
loose video tutorial for free and in-app coaching for children at a fee.
Clinical trials and current systems currently utilizing the traffic
light system heavily emphasize and integrate families and clinical
providers to offer support and guidance. Unfortunately, Kurbo’s system
lacks necessary medical support and oversight for children that could
provide nutritional guidance, tips on healthy habits overall, and
properly discern, on a situation to situation basis, if it may or may
not be appropriate for a child to be seeking to address his/her weight.
The in-app coaches, which are provided at a fee, are not qualified to
provide this guidance for children. Additionally, none of the in-app
coaches are pediatricians or health professionals with expertise on
identifying and responding to eating disorders. Children need their
pediatricians and families, those who understand their lifestyles and
needs, to guide them through healthy, life-long eating habits.
This problem is confounded by the uniqueness of Kurbo’s traffic light
system in that it focuses on calories, rather than the quality of the
calories consumed. In doing so, Kurbo app glosses over the importance of
eating a variety of foods, vitamins, and nutrients. Additionally, the
system ignores the dietary needs of children who are still developing
and progressing through puberty.
Ultimately, a child using Kurbo could be incentivized to develop
compulsive eating behaviors that eventually lead to disordered eating.
The consequences of eating disorders can be devastating. Patients
between the ages of 15 and 24 with anorexia nervosa have a 10 times
higher risk of dying than their peers without anorexia nervosa. In fact,
eating disorders have the second highest mortality rate of any mental
health condition. Unfortunately, adolescents who engage in dieting are
five times more likely than their peers to develop an eating disorder,
meaning that Kurbo’s consumers are at a particularly high risk. The
pressures to engage in dieting start at a young age—the very age Kurbo
is targeting. Roughly 50% of elementary school girls are concerned with
their weight and 13% of girls under 20 met the criteria for an eating
disorder.
There is no question that childhood obesity is a devastating health
issue, but WW has seemingly disregarded the medical advice of
pediatricians and eating disorder experts, as well as the health of the
millions of children who could be at risk of, or currently suffer from,
an eating disorder. There are more responsible ways to address the
childhood obesity epidemic that do not expose children to so much
potential harm.
A child’s confidence, mental and physical health, and lifelong
relationship with food is invaluable. We encourage you to heed the
advice of medical professionals and experts and immediately pull the
Kurbo app from the marketplace. Additionally, we urge WW to thoughtfully
consider consulting with clinicians, pediatricians, and other health
care providers specializing in eating disorders and weight management
before and upon re-designing and re-implementing any future apps or
programs. Please respond to this letter by October 17, 2019 detailing
your plans to do so
Canadian girls
Vote Green
& 
---------------
Get one of the last Green Party Polo shirts
