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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- There are new orders from the doctor for Santa: Share Rudolf's snack of carrots and celery sticks rather than drinking brandy and eating mince pies, and swap the sleigh for a bike.
Dr. Nathan Grills, from Monash University in Australia, was quoted as saying that the current image of Santa promotes obesity, drinking and driving, speeding and a generally unhealthy lifestyle. He argued, "Santa only needs to affect health by 0.1 percent to damage millions of lives," and that it would be better if his popularity was used to promote healthy living.
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Grills reviewed literature and web-based material to assess Santa's potential negative impact on public health. Indeed, among American school kids, Santa Claus was the only fictional character more highly recognized than Ronald McDonald.
Grills also found that "Santa sells, and sometimes he sells harmful products," and this happens on a global scale. "Like Coca-Cola, Santa has become a major export item to the developing world."
While Santa is now banned from smoking, images of him enjoying a pipe or cigar can still be found on Christmas cards. Father Christmas potentially promotes drinking and driving, argues Grills, referring to the tradition of leaving Santa Claus a brandy to wish him well on his travels -- with a few billion houses to visit Santa would soon be well over the limit.
Santa also has real potential to spread infectious diseases. If Santa sneezes or coughs around 10 times a day, all the children who sit on his lap may end up with swine flu as well as their Christmas presents, argues Grills.
While more research is needed before calling on authorities to regulate Santa's activities, Grills proposes a new image for Santa a slimmed down version on a treadmill.
SOURCE: bmj.com, December 17, 2009
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