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About 1 in 3 Americans are overweight
and obesity is now at epidemic levels in the US, experts warn. But with
$11 billion spent annually to advertise foods, huge increases in portion
sizes in restaurants, and more hours spent sitting at the computer or
in front of the TV, Americans face an increasingly uphill battle against
obesity. In this report, nutrition experts suggest that immediate, national
action is needed to combat this growing problem.
In their report, Dr. Marion Nestle of the department
of nutrition and food studies at New York University and Dr. Michael F.
Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest
(CSPI), note the pressures in American society that encourage people to
overeat and remain inactive.
The researchers highlight the fact that in the US,
the 170,000 fast-food restaurants and 3 million soft-drink vending machines
combine with an automobile culture to lead people to take more "energy
in" while expending less "energy out." Seemingly helpful modern conveniences
that most people have come to depend upon -- such as e-mail, air conditioning,
central heating, mini-malls, and superhighways -- are listed as factors
responsible for reduced activity levels across the nation.
And reduced funding for public school physical education
classes as well as the lure of high-sugar and high-fat food options in
the form of TV advertising geared to adolescents contribute to a culture
of obesity.
The problem is not simply a question of changing individual
behavior -- such as by dieting -- but rather a broader problem that involves
changing the way society encourages people to become fat and sedentary.
In their report, the authors list a variety of ways
the federal government could affect change. For example:
- Use media outlets to advertise healthy foods such
as fruits and vegetables;
- Sponsor a "No-TV Week" in order to remind people
that adolescents watch an average of 3 to 4 hours daily and thereby
get enormous exposure to high-calorie food advertisements;
- Promote physical activity by making parks safe
for children, building more public bike paths and swimming pools, and
creating pedestrian malls in downtown areas;
- Make physical education a standard requirement
in schools and ban marketing of high-calorie/low-nutrition foods in
school cafeterias;
- And by getting the revenue to pay for such public
construction, education and programs that promote healthier eating and
activities by adding a 2/3-cent tax on 12-ounce soft drinks, a 5% tax
on new TVs and video equipment, and a $65 levy on new cars.
The object of the food industry is to sell more food
-- not less. Enormous amounts of advertising goes into getting people
to eat more -- not less. Portion sizes are large, and fruits and vegetables
aren't particularly profitable... but at the national level, there are
huge numbers of policies that promote the current food system, and these
could be changed.
Public
Health Reports 2000;115:12-24
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