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Woman says she will not give candy to the 'obese'

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FARGO, N.D., Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A North Dakota woman said she plans to hand out letters instead of Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters she considers to be "moderately obese."

The Fargo woman's letter, which quickly spread via social media after she announced her intentions, is addressed to the parents of the trick-or-treaters who received it and informs the parents that their children appear to be "moderately obese," KVLY-FM, Fargo, reported Wednesday.

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The letter urges parents not to feed children candy and to guide the youngsters toward a healthier lifestyle.

The woman told the hosts of a WDAY-FM, Fargo, morning radio show Tuesday she wants the city's children to be healthier.

"I just want to send a message to the parents of kids that are really overweight ... I think it's just really irresponsible of parents to send them out looking for free candy just 'cause all the other kids are doing it," said the woman, who gave her name as Cheryl. "I'm contributing to their health problems and really, their kids are everybody's kids. It's a whole village."

Dr. Katie Gordon, assistant professor of Clinical Psychology at North Dakota State University, said such a letter could do more harm than good.

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"It's just that kind of thing that for some kids, if they're vulnerable, might trigger major problems," she said.

"That's not something that someone can judge- the health of someone- just by looking at them. I think that's the main thing. Even if a child is overweight, they might be very healthy because of what they eat and how they exercise," Gordon said. "It's ineffective anyway because it's not likely to help the kid."

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