OBESITY POLICY

Are Lone Parents Children more Likely

to be Obese than Nuclear Families

Are Lone Parents Children more Likely

to be Obese than Nuclear Families

Obesity prevention policies exist in the private sector and at all levels of government. In the private sector, many workplaces have sponsored healthy living initiatives that incorporate policies to prevent obesity in their employees, such as reducing the prices of healthy foods in their cafeterias, building exercise facilities, and subsidizing gym memberships. It is not known how many private corporations support wellness and obesity prevention programs (Pyle, 2006). However, there are data that support the fact that corporations only receive a return on their investment (in the form of lower healthcare costs) only over the long term. Therefore, companies with high employee turnover and businesses with fewer employees are less likely to implement workplace wellness and obesity prevention policies (Zeitler, 2007).

The federal government's obesity policies tend to focus more on weight reduction than prevention of future weight gain. It is estimated that there are over 300 programs related to obesity within the purview of the federal government, many of which are concerned with public education, such as the MyPyramid program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) VERB youth media campaign designed to encourage physical activity in adolescents (Strauss, 2008).

The way food is developed, marketed, and sold in our society contributes to the epidemic of obesity and needs to change. At the present time, economic and convenience factors pressure consumers to eat foods that are prepackaged and readily available. Typically, these foods are not fresh, lack many nutrients, and contain high levels of calories and fat. Snack foods, soft drinks, “children's menu” items at restaurants, and sugared breakfast cereals are aggressively marketed to children. If breakfast cereals are ranked from least to most healthy (by any definition, e.g., amount of fiber, sugar, or fat), the cereals marketed most often to children tend to be the least healthy and are most likely to be associated with cartoon or movie characters (Oliver, 2006).

The traditional public health approach to overweight and obesity aims at changing individual health behaviors, such as eating more nutritious, low-calorie foods, instead of sugary, high-fat, and fast foods, and in choosing active behaviors instead of sedentary ones. These initiatives might consist of public health announcements in the form of television, print, and radio campaigns, as well as asking pediatricians and schools to focus on the problem with both children and parents (Marion, 2008).

There has been some concern in the health community that the zeal with which some sectors are tackling the problem may cause new problems. Requiring school districts to send notes home to parents indicating their child's body mass index (BMI) is highly controversial because of the emotional distress it can cause. These letters, which are becoming more frequent in locales around the country and have become known as “weight report cards” or “fat report cards,” can further stigmatize children who may already be teased and excluded ...