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COMMENTARY |
Section of Medicine/Pediatrics and the Oklahoma Bioethics Center, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Abbreviations: NHLBI, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The National Center for Sleep Disorders Research of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) launched the "Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper" campaign in 2001. Targeted at school-aged children, the campaign seeks to promote adequate sleep for youngsters as a cornerstone of a healthful lifestyle. The NHLBI has enlisted Garfield the Cat as the celebrity "spokescat" for this campaign. Although the goals of the campaign are laudable, I challenge the NHLBI’s wisdom in promoting Garfield as a role model for healthy behavior.
The goal of the campaign is certainly worthwhile. Sleep is important, and we, as a society, do not do it very well. It is recommended that school-aged children sleep 9 hours per night. On average, school-aged children sleep 9.4 hours per night; however, 17% of school-aged children get <9 hours of sleep.1 Sleep deprivation is associated with a negative impact on cognitive function2 and mood3 and increased family stress1 and may be associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity.4 The reasons are myriad, but inadequate sleep is problematic because it persists into adolescence and adulthood, with increasingly significant consequences.
Thus, I have no quarrel with a campaign designed to promote adequate sleep, nor do I take issue with Garfield’s reputation as an avid sleeper. I am concerned, however, that Garfield’s status as a celebrity spokescat is at odds with the other health-promotion goals of the NHLBI.
Garfield is a poster child for cardiovascular risk. Although I have no knowledge of his family history, he is clearly obese and sedentary. I shudder to think what his blood pressure and lipid profile are, given the quality and quantity of the diet he consumes. Similarly, if he is not yet frankly diabetic, Garfield is certainly at risk of developing type II diabetes mellitus and may already exhibit impaired glucose tolerance. At least I have never seen him light up a cigarette.
I fear that there is more to Garfield’s pathology than his cardiovascular risk profile. I have long suspected that Garfield suffers from clinical depression. In addition to his hypersomnolence and insatiable appetite, Garfield intermittently exhibits anhedonia, apathy, and mood swings. Perhaps the NHLBI could team up with the National Institutes of Mental Health for a comprehensive project, with Garfield as the focus rather than the spokescat. Like Tipper Gore, Garfield could help remove the stigma surrounding mental health care were he to go public with his own battle with depression. Perhaps with appropriate mental health intervention, Garfield will be motivated to assume responsibility for managing his cardiovascular risk as well. In partnership, the NHLBI and National Institutes of Mental Health could get Garfield into therapy and perhaps on an antidepressant. Nutrition counseling would also be beneficial. Perhaps we will even see Garfield lace up his sneakers for a graduated aerobic exercise program.
Garfield is, no doubt, an avid sleeper. Arguably, however, his sleep is pathologic and, thus, his status as celebrity spokescat is suspect. Moreover, his cardiovascular risk and, more significantly, the lack of evidence that he is attempting to modify his health-risk behavior, make Garfield an inappropriate role model to serve as the NHLBI mouthpiece.
Snoopy, on the other hand, is also a champion sleeper—and a pretty good shortstop, too!
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FOOTNOTES |
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Address correspondence to Mark D. Fox, MD, PhD, MPH, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Tulsa, 4502 E 41st St, Tulsa, OK 74135. E-mail: mark-fox{at}ouhsc.edu
The author has indicated he has no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Opinions expressed in these commentaries are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics or its Committees.
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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  M. J. Twery The Cartoon Character Garfield and the "Sleep Well. Do Well. Star Sleeper" Campaign Pediatrics, September 1, 2006; 118(3): 1259 - 1259. [Full Text] [PDF]
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