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Public Health and Obesity: When a Pound of Prevention Really Is Worth an Ounce of Cure

Public Health and Obesity: When a Pound of Prevention Really Is Worth an Ounce of Cure In this response to Jonny Anomalys Is Obesity a Public Health Problem? I argue, contra the author that public health actually increases individuals abilities to choose actions that further their health goals, specifically in the case of obesity. The intractability of obesity as an individual medical problem combined with the health benefits of modest (510 per cent of body weight) weight loss suggest that public health measures helping people make small changes in eating habits improve population health. I argue that such measures are available to public health via behavioral economic research and policy proposals from libertarian paternalists. I respond to authors claim that obesity does not constitute a public health problem because: (i) it is not an epidemic and (ii) obesity reduction is not a public good. I argue that epidemic status is not required for classification as a public health problem, but that obesity does have the status of an epidemic. I also point out flaws in authors reasoning about obesity, public health and social costs. I conclude by suggesting that public health, in partnership with stakeholders and other areas of government, is poised to help create conditions for modest weight loss and increased population health overall. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Public Health Ethics Oxford University Press

Public Health and Obesity: When a Pound of Prevention Really Is Worth an Ounce of Cure

Womack, Catherine A.
Public Health Ethics , Volume 5 (3) – Nov 5, 2012
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References (19)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press. Available online at www.phe.oxfordjournals.org
ISSN
1754-9973
eISSN
1754-9981
DOI
10.1093/phe/phs031
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In this response to Jonny Anomalys Is Obesity a Public Health Problem? I argue, contra the author that public health actually increases individuals abilities to choose actions that further their health goals, specifically in the case of obesity. The intractability of obesity as an individual medical problem combined with the health benefits of modest (510 per cent of body weight) weight loss suggest that public health measures helping people make small changes in eating habits improve population health. I argue that such measures are available to public health via behavioral economic research and policy proposals from libertarian paternalists. I respond to authors claim that obesity does not constitute a public health problem because: (i) it is not an epidemic and (ii) obesity reduction is not a public good. I argue that epidemic status is not required for classification as a public health problem, but that obesity does have the status of an epidemic. I also point out flaws in authors reasoning about obesity, public health and social costs. I conclude by suggesting that public health, in partnership with stakeholders and other areas of government, is poised to help create conditions for modest weight loss and increased population health overall.

Journal

Public Health Ethics – Oxford University Press

Published: Nov 5, 2012

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