Document sans titre
Obesity is a significant
global public health problem with no known long term effective strategies to
address it. In England, while obesity prevalence rates have trebled over the
last two decades, during the same period smoking prevalence rates have declined
significantly. The objective of this paper is to draw lessons from international
tobacco control efforts that can be applied to tackling obesity in England.
The successes in tobacco
control have primarily been a result of public policy measure to combat the
problem and similar approaches can be used against obesity. The approaches have
included Information and Communication Strategies, Community-based Programs,
Regulatory and Legislative Efforts, Economic Approaches and Medical Interventions
and Management all within a comprehensive framework. The paper outlines these
strategies, what is known about their effectiveness (and the factors influencing
effectiveness) and how they could be used to combat obesity.
The provision of information
to individuals is critical to promoting healthy behaviours. Mass media campaigns
have been found to be effective in decreasing smoking prevalence rates particularly
when they are adequately funded and combined with other polices. In particular,
social marketing campaigns have been found to be effective and similar types
of campaigns in which multiple themes about obesity are targeted to specific
demographic groups to raise awareness and improve knowledge can be used.
The communities in which
individuals learn, work and live can and do have a significant impact on health
behaviours. Accordingly, school, workplace and community-based programs have
been used as part of comprehensive anti-tobacco programs. Overall evidence on
the effectiveness of the tobacco control school-based programmes has been mixed.
The school environment provides opportunities to give children a foundation
for healthy eating behaviours. The government has recently taken positive steps
to provide school environments that are supportive of healthy eating behaviour
for example by mandating nutritional standards for school lunches.
Among the regulatory and
legislative measures that have been used in tobacco control are advertising
and promotional bans, regulation of label contents on tobacco products and minimal
cigarette pack sizes. Overall, mixed results have been found regarding the effectiveness
of tobacco advertising restrictions. However, in order to maximize effectiveness,
advertising bans must be comprehensive and not limited to one medium as manufacturers
are likely to use alternative media outlets to circumvent a ban in a specific
medium. With regards to obesity, food advertising has a particularly significant
effect on children; their preferences, purchasing behaviours and consumption
patterns. While government has made positive steps in restricting the advertisement
of junk food on television to children more needs to be done.
Taxation has been the single
most effective public policy tool used against tobacco. Cigarette pricing as
a policy tool has been effective because the price demand elasticity (i.e. how
much the demand for cigarettes responds to changes in price) can be significant.
Although the evidence of food price elasticity is limited, there is, however,
evidence to suggest that policy-related economic instruments can influence food
consumption.
The healthcare system plays
an important role in both the prevention and treatment of diseases. The availability
of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and the provision of brief advice by healthcare
professionals, together with other environmental approaches discussed above,
have contributed to declines in smoking prevalence rates. Professional advice
to overweight and obese patients on living healthier lifestyles, drug therapy
and bariatric surgery can make important contributions in combating obesity.
In summary, efforts to
date to address obesity have not led to population declines in prevalence rates
and tobacco control which has been a major public health success offers valuable
lessons, albeit, with caveats. However, implementing the public policies that
have been outlined above to address obesity will be challenging as clear differences
exist between tobacco and obesity. Food (the excessive intake of which leads
to obesity), unlike tobacco, is necessary for life and extreme caution has to
be taken regarding the implementation of policies such as taxation of food products
to discourage the consumption of unhealthy diets.
> Read
the report
Home
