Stemming the tide of obesity: What needs to happen

Abstract

This article argues for the kind of societal and policy efforts that would be necessary to resolve the social problem of obesity. Because of the large scale of the problem, the paper explains about (1) why a social movement is necessary and (2) the kinds of government policy efforts that would have a real chance of eliminating or drastically reducing obesity.This article does not provide details of a specific antiobesity policy plan(s). It first explains about the essential causes of obesity and second outlines the kinds of efforts that need to happen to fix the obesity problem. The needed efforts are not just those of governments; they include efforts of communities, grass-roots groups, individuals, and food businesses. The needed efforts are numerous and taken as a whole constitute a socio-economic transformation which involves reversing the negative behavior patterns that contribute to obesity.