Psychological Factors
Psychological motivation and peer pressure was emphasized in implementation of the program, which formed the bulk of criticism of the program as being insensitive and heavy-handed. Several TAF participants reported experiences of stigmatization, teasing, physiological stress and lower self-esteem as they found themselves being singled out for being obese. It was also quickly pointed out that the name of the program contained a negative connotation, as its reverse acronym was 'FAT'. Despite such criticism, education officials continually insisted that the program was not out to stigmatize overweight children.
In 2005, a National University of Singapore study of 4,400 schoolgirls linked TAF to an increase in eating disorders. It found that girls were more likely to have poorer relationship with their parents and their female friends. The findings correlated to a Singapore General Hospital study released a week earlier which found that instances of anorexia nervosa and bulimia increased six-fold from 1994 to 2002. The Ministry of Education quickly rejected these findings; claiming TAF was not a factor in the increase in anorexia.
Two years later, in 2007, the Ministry of Education decided to replace TAF with the Holistic Health Framework (HHF). The HHF intended to ensure the fitness and health of all schoolchildren.
Read more about this topic: Trim And Fit
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