Public Policy and Obesity: The Need to Marry Science with Advocacy
Section snippets
Causes of obesity
Responsibility for obesity has been ascribed mainly to the individual with the problem. For the general public, the misbehavior of overweight individuals is considered the cause of their obesity. This sentiment also pervades the health professions, which is why the primary approach in health agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to focus on treatment rather than prevention, hoping that people can be persuaded (eg, with lifestyle interventions, drugs, or surgery) to make
Medical versus public health perspective on obesity
Traditionally, obesity has been conceptualized from the medical or disease model perspective. This model views obesity as a disease (or even personal failing) that affects some vulnerable individuals, which then needs to be eradicated in those who are stricken. This philosophy was apparent in earlier attempts to treat the condition, in which overweight or obese individuals were expected to shed all excess weight and return to their ideal weight. Treatment is oriented toward the individual using
What must be done?
It is time to be courageous. Environmental changes will be key, and these must be brought about by changes in public policy. In some cases, policy changes might occur at state or national levels, but they also might involve local institutions such as schools (eg, banning soft drinks and snack foods) or community organizations (eg, sponsoring walking/bike trails).
A focus on prevention leads naturally to children. Rates of childhood obesity are skyrocketing, and overweight children are much more
Policy approaches
These examples are encouraging, but more public policy on environmental change is needed. Public policy can lead to widespread change systematically and immediately. There is a long-standing history in most countries of policy changes made for the good of public health [10], [12]. For instance, the addition of fluoride to water was once a controversial innovation, but is now routine. More recently with smoking, there were outcries from the tobacco companies about a number of policies, but the
Summary
Obesity is an epidemic that likely will worsen if strong, broad-reaching changes are not made to the current environment. Although treatment of the individual traditionally has been the focus of the obesity field, prevention using a public health model will be essential for making progress. There are encouraging signs that nations are taking the obesity problem seriously, that there is growing recognition that prevention must be the priority, and that a full-scale effort must be made to protect
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Child Obesity and Mental Health. A Complex Interaction.
2016, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North AmericaCitation Excerpt :Such population-wide efforts are focused on strategies with a strong evidence base to achieve maximal impact in the environment and communities. Single behavioral interventions, although effective strategies to improve individual wellness and reduce risk of comorbidities, are unlikely to have a substantial impact on the population health of our nation’s children; therefore, a population focus is needed to address obesity.58–60 There are several examples of effective community-based obesity prevention interventions with a public health focus that can be found in Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity authored by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies.61
Lack of correlation between antiobesity policy and obesity growth rates: Review and analysis
2012, Endocrine PracticeCitation Excerpt :Enactment of nonappropriations bills was also on an upward trend, with states (excluding Minnesota) enacting 34.3% during the 2007-2008 period (41). A recent initiative by St. Louis University, which built 17 walking trails around Missouri, mitigates fears of disuse of trails once built: 42% of residents reported using the trails with 60% of trail users feeling more physically fit (42). The National Conference of State Legislatures noted the popularity of complete street policies that ensure bicyclists, pedestrians, transit users, and senior citizens are included in the planning and building of transportation projects (43).
Adolescent summer care arrangements and risk for obesity the following school year
2011, Journal of AdolescenceCitation Excerpt :Calorie intake that regularly exceeds energy expenditure is the primary cause of obesity, but a variety of factors affect the extent to which this occurs. An expanding toxic food environment that has made high fat and sugar laden products cheap and abundant coupled with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle driven by changes in technology, work, and leisure are common explanations for the historic rise in obesity (e.g., Krishnamoorthy, Hart, & Jelalian, 2006; Wang & Brownell, 2005). However, rates of obesity do vary according to individual and demographic aspects.
Legislative approaches to tackling the obesity epidemic
2011, CMAJ. Canadian Medical Association JournalCitation Excerpt :Obesity has traditionally been considered a medical “problem” for physicians to treat.8