Obesity and public policy.
There is a pressing need to reduce both the prevalence and impact of obesity. This review begins with a discussion of the roles of treatment and prevention. Two overriding issues, weight bias and the addictive nature of food, are covered because of their importance not only to the individuals affected but also to public policy. We then cover promising policy areas in which changes can be implemented to support healthy behaviors: school policy, food marketing, food labeling and packaging, and taxes on unhealthy foods. The roles of the food industry and federal, state, and local governments are also discussed.
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA. ashley.gearhardt@yale.edu
Ashley N
AN
Gearhardt
Marie A
MA
Bragg
Rebecca L
RL
Pearl
Natasha A
NA
Schvey
Christina A
CA
Roberto
Kelly D
KD
Brownell
D000818:Animals; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology; D019649:Food Industry; D006291:Health Policy; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011287:Prejudice; D012572:School Health Services