Obesity, health at every size, and public health policy

A. Bombak

American Journal of Public Health, 2014, vol. 104, issue 2, e60-e67

Abstract: Obesity is associated with chronic diseases that may negatively affect individuals' health and the sustainability of the health care system. Despite increasingemphasis on obesity as a major health care issue, little progress has been made in its treatment or prevention. Individual approaches to obesity treatment, largely composed of weight-loss dieting, have not proven effective. Little direct evidence supports the notion of reforms to the "obesogenic environment." Both these individualistic and environmental approaches to obesity have important limitations and ethical implications. The low levels of success associated with these approaches may necessitate a new non-weight-centric public health strategy. Evidence is accumulating that a weight-neutral, nutrition- and physical activity-based, Health at Every Size (HAES) approach may be a promising chronic disease-prevention strategy.

Keywords: adipose tissue; advertizing; article; body weight; chronic disease; diet; environment; exercise; health care policy; health promotion; human; lifestyle; obesity; public health; risk factor; weight reduction, Adipose Tissue; Advertising as Topic; Body Weight; Chronic Disease; Diet; Environment; Exercise; Health Policy; Health Promotion; Humans; Life Style; Obesity; Public Health; Risk Factors; Weight Loss (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301486_6

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301486

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