To wonder why Bodyshock is mainly in third world/asian countries??

[Inabadplace]

I'm not trying to be offensive so I apologize in advance if anyone takes this the wrong way.
I saw the turtle boy clip and have seen others on the past they largely feature in third world/asian countries. Does anybody know why this is ?

AIBU to be curious??

www.channel4.com/programmes/bodyshock/video/series-27/episode-1/bodyshock-turtle-boy

Erm, yeah. Because we have ultrasound and legal, safe abortion. .

I think there must be more to it than ' we are able to abort'

Maybe in countries with free healthcare parents don't need to sell their children to the TV cameras to get treatment?

Abortion? hmm never thought about that.

Poor antenatal care/screening programmes? tendency to marry within family, cousins etc?

Poor health, poor diet, incest, no scans and very little care during pregnancy.

The interbreeding is something I had forgotten for some reason poor water hygiene came to mind but possibly not :/

Because a vast number of people in the world live in 3rd world countries. A quick google tells me that India alone has a population of over 1 billion people while the whole of europe has under 750,000.

Add in

"Developed" countries having access to corrective surgery
Abortion
People in third world maybe more likely to agree to a "shock" documentary about their child for ££ if they are in poverty
It may be that the people this program is aimed at feel more comfortable watching it if the subjects are people they think of as a long way from themselves, than if they look like people they might know.

Stuff like that.

I have not seen the program BTW so if any of those points don't apply that is why. I have seen plenty of stories about children and adults with unusual conditions in other countries - often the US - again a large population.

SardineQueen, you might have missed a few 0's, as there are more than 750,000 people in Scotland alone...

Something like the "turtle boy" wouldn't happen in a 1st world country, as it would have been dealt with long before it grew so large.

A friend of mine had the same condition as the boy in the video - at least, it bore the same name. He was operated on at a young age and you can hardly see anything now. Maybe that's got something to do with it ?

PS I would bs astonished if this particular problem would be detected via ultrasound. Maybe someone who knows better will come along to tell me I'm wrong....

soz, 750 million obviously.

Still europe has less than 3/4 population of india alone.

Incidentally I picked a number from google "population europe" and am not in a position to clarify what definition of "europe" they were going on

squirrels exactly. Conditions aren't treated so worsen to such awful stages.

youattheback

OOUCH!!!!!

but sadly, true

I've wondered about this too. In India they worship Gods with a lot of limbs and have a higher incidence of babies born with this kind of thing:

Six legged baby

Apparently the Turtleboy is from Colombia

looking sheepish

does that still qualify as third world.

Colombia is third world.

Third world
poverty + have to pay for health care - things not picked up on ultrasound, or left to get much worse than they would in the west.
less knowledge about peticides / smoking / effects on baby of enviroment, and no choice where to live if you do know
in some countries it is common to marry your first cousin, and your children then marry their first cousins so much smaller gene pool.
having a child with a disability / abnormality may increase family income from begging so less motive to have corrective surgery / treatment

Erm, cos the British ones are all on "Embarrassing Bodies" innit :)

HTH

How about the countries in which these are set having lower lowers of ethical safeguards for these sorts of things?

I mean, could you actually make a programme in the UK which involved such hideous freaskshow exploitation of a child?

I did wonder that the first time I saw one of these programmes advertised, but I concluded that, as others have said, that due to the NHS and advanced medical techniques, combined with a lack of cultural superstition, inbreeding and (generally) excellent pre/post natal care, the type of conditions that are featured on these programmes are identified, diagnosed and treated at a much earlier stage in the condition, and probably less prevalent in the first place.

I don't know to what extent 'better' diets and clean water makes a difference. I would also argue that not all people in this country do have 'good' diets. They might eat more food, but that doesn't mean their diet is any better nutritionally.

Alice I don't really get what you're saying. Are you actually suggesting that a belief in gods such as ganesha means people are more likely to be born with more arms (and a trunk?!). I would suggest that reproducing with close relatives has more to do with it than religious beliefs!!!

I am concerned at the turn this thread is taking.
IMO, the children with extra limbs are as a result of twins or triplets not developing properly. Cojoined twins are normally picked up on USS.
If you have the choice of feeding yourself or going for a scan, the obvious choice would be food.
Nothing to do with godess worship.

I've wondered about this too. In India they worship Gods with a lot of limbs and have a higher incidence of babies born with this kind of thing:

This is right up there with the maddest things I've ever read on the internet.

What about higher levels of pollutants in the environment? Pesticides in foods, heavy metals in the water, air pollution... "1st world" countries have restrictions in place.

Does anyone know what happened to the little boy in the OP?
I remember one of these programmes, it was an Indonesian man, who earned a living in one of these weird wandering fairs (our version of the Victorian freak show}
He got offered treatment, and was half way through, but was so connected to the circus and his mates he stopped it.
I never saw a follow up, but I stopped watching these programmes as they were so sad.