UNC to review textbook whose claims about cancer and Holocaust have caused controversy

A textbook for a required fitness class at UNC-Chapel Hill is under review by the university after criticism about its content, including statements about Holocaust victims and about cancer being “a disease of choice.”

Abigail Panter, senior associate dean for undergraduate education, said in a statement that the course material is under review for use this fall.

“The University understands the concerns and sensitivities around certain excerpts in the online text book currently used in the Lifetime Fitness course,” Panter’s statement said. “Once the department of exercise and sport science received student feedback in the spring 2018 semester about those excerpts in the book, the department discussed those concerns with the publisher as part of an ongoing curriculum review process. Edits could not be made in time for use in the ongoing semester.”

The textbook, “21st Century Fitness,” is used by nearly 5,000 undergraduates at UNC each year as part of the required fitness class that includes physical education.

Some students have criticized the class for what they said was an extreme emphasis on personal responsibility and a tone that seemed to blame people for poor health.

The book calls cancer and diabetes “diseases of choice.” It maintains that “many if not most women” who are obsessed with weight have become habitual dieters. And it describes a theory by Holocaust survivor and Austrian psychotherapist Victor Frankl about concentration camps: “The people in the camps who did not tap into the strength that comes from recognizing their intrinsic worth succumbed to the brutality to which they were subjected.”

Controversy about the book, first reported by The News & Observer, was later picked up by national media. The textbook is part of online courseware sold by an Indianapolis-based company called Perceivant to 14 universities, including Arizona State, Ohio State, Kennesaw State and Brigham Young.

The book was written by Ron Hager and Barbara Lockhart, faculty in exercise sciences at Brigham Young.

Hager has defended the book, saying in an email that he and Lockhart are trying to promote a healthy and active lifestyle among today’s college students. “One of the overriding purposes of our text is to encourage and empower individuals to take responsibility for their own good health through the everyday choices they make,” he wrote.

He pointed out that research backs up the notion that personal choices have consequences for health. The American Cancer Society estimates that almost two-thirds of cancer deaths are related to either tobacco use, physical inactivity, diet and obesity, Hager has said.

Officials with Perceivant have said the online course content is customizable, and some universities have opted to add or delete chapters of “21st Century Wellness.” The book contains standard content about nutrition, cardiovascular fitness, weight management and endurance and strength.

It’s unclear whether UNC will keep the textbook, alter it or adopt a different one.

Panter’s statement said the review would follow standard process. “In our work to protect and promote academic freedom, we respect the process of departmental curriculum review,” she said. “As is consistent with our process, we will work collaboratively with the department on any proposed or recommended changes.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 7:23 PM with the headline "UNC to review textbook whose claims about cancer and Holocaust have caused controversy."