Policy-makers take aim at obesity rates

More research and evidence of what works is needed as efforts rise to reverse obesity trend.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. July 19, 2004.

Washington -- A lot of people agree that obesity is on its way to becoming the world's No. 1 health problem. As a result, creating public policies to help guide healthy choices in diet and exercise is receiving more and more attention.

In the United States, members of Congress had, by last month, introduced more than 50 bills designed to address this weighty issue. And the World Health Assembly earlier in the spring adopted its first global diet, exercise and health strategy. That blueprint urges countries to develop prevention-oriented policies that make healthy choices the easy choices.

This level of activity reflects the fact that the stakes are high. National surveys indicate that 64% of Americans are overweight or obese and public health experts fear that an epidemic of heart disease, stroke and diabetes will inevitably follow. Rising obesity rates among children are particularly worrisome.

However, what will prove effective in reversing these disturbing trends is still a matter of debate because only limited scientific evidence exists to offer guideposts.

"I am unaware of any other large-scale public health problem for which we do not have best practices," said Derek Yach, a researcher for the World Health Organization. He spoke at a briefing in Washington, D.C., that highlighted studies published in the June 2 global health theme issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"There are tobacco interventions, HIV has great success stories and we have great case study success stories for infectious diseases. But we do not have a success story in a large-scale community over five years for the reduction of obesity," he said.