From health as a rational choice to health as an affordable choice.
Sedentary, consumption-based lifestyles are placing entire populations at serious health risks; obesity is a prime example. The individual approach to obesity, which targets those at risk, has largely failed because it ignores wider influences on behavior. Although the population-ecological approach is gaining support, it cannot disentangle clear targets for policy change. Consequently, health promotion has been relegated to the mass marketing of healthy behaviors, which is based on a rational notion that informed people tend to behave in their best interest. Creating environments that support behavior change and providing individuals incentives can be more effective to reduce lifestyle-related risks. A paradigm shift from trying to sell health to the public to creating the conditions whereby healthy choices become accessible and affordable is required.
Maziak
Wasim
W
University of Memphis, School of Public Health, Browning Hall 112, 3820 DeSoto Avenue, Memphis, TN 38152-3340, USA. wmaziak@memphis.edu
Ward
Kenneth D
KD
D015438:Health Behavior; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009042:Motivation; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011634:Public Health; D014481:United States