Ramping Up Policy Measures in the Area of Physical Activity

Abstract

The American population weighs too much. That is so well documented; it does not even need a citation. And for all the millions of pages of research and gray literature devoted to the topic and all the complex reasons for American obesity, we know that Americans tend to eat too much, and too much of the wrong things, while not exercising nearly enough. With the girth of America growing, taking off fatty pounds and, more importantly, keeping them off will go a long way toward mitigating personal and family health catastrophes and future health care costs. Our propensityforexcessweightis,tobesure,relatedtodecisions by individuals. But these decisions are shaped and guided by what we encounter in the places where we work, learn, and play. A new environment around each of us, one less blessed with empty calories and more encouraging to movement and activity, will become us. In the past few years, policy attempts to influence the inputs have been highly visible, from the recent success in reducing sodium in processed foods to the Affordable Care Act’s requirement to place calories on menu boards and the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which promoted healthier meals in schools and in childcare centers. While the output side of the equation has not been ignored in research or in our culture, the role of policy in affecting physical activity is nowhere near as visible as the policy focus on nutrition. This issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice is a welcome examination of policy’s role in altering the output side of the equation.