title: The development of scientific evidence for health policies for obesity: why and how?
abstract: Potential obesity-related policy approaches have recently been receiving more attention. Although some have been implemented and others only proposed, few have been formally evaluated. We discuss the relevance, and in some cases irrelevance, of some of the types of evidence that are often brought to bear in considering obesity-related policy decisions. We discuss major methods used to generate such evidence, emphasizing study design and the varying quality of the evidence obtained. Third, we consider what the standards of evidence should be in various contexts, who ought to set those standards, as well as the inherent subjectivity involved in making policy decisions. Finally, we suggest greater transparency from both academics and policymakers in the acknowledgment of subjectivities so they can distinguish and communicate the roles of empirical evidence and subjective values in the formulation of policy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.|Nutrition Obesity Research Center, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Obesity Research Center, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.|School of Nursing, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Fontaine
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Obesity Research Center, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Allison
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011050:Policy Making; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic