Obesity : Role of Policy and Government in the Obesity Epidemic
Nicole L. Novak, MSc; Kelly D. Brownell, PhD
From the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Department of Psychology, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
(Click on image to enlarge)
Correspondence to Nicole L. Novak, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, 309 Edwards St, New Haven, CT 06511. E-mail nicole.l.novak@gmail.com.
In 2001, the Surgeon General's “Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity”1 identified obesity as a key public health priority for the United States. Obesity rates were higher than ever, with 61% of adults nationwide overweight or obese. In the intervening years, several administrations have declared a commitment to deal with the problem, and the food industry has issued numerous pledges for change, yet the prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen further, to 68%.2 Children have been particularly affected; >19% of school-aged children were obese in 2007 to 2008 compared with just 6% in the late 1970s.3 Disease rates join high healthcare costs, so everyone is affected personally, economically, or both.4,5
A wide range of government policies and programs have been implemented, including the development of national clinical guidelines, nutrition labeling on packaged foods, education and social marketing efforts, and more recently, calorie labeling on restaurant menus and federal efforts to increase access and financing for fresh fruits and vegetables. However, most of these efforts focus on clinical and educational factors or on community interventions and, until recently, have rarely addressed environmental drivers of obesity. There is growing theoretical and scientific support for policies that intervene on environmental determinants of overeating. The implementation of some policies is facing resistance from the food and beverage industries.
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