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At the international level, the World Health Organization (WHO) has developed an aggressive plan to combat an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity—"globesity"—throughout the world. The WHO guidelines on diet and exercise, The Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Disease, released in 2003, advocate such actions as lowering …
In addition to generating international debate, the issue of obesity is receiving considerable attention from lawmakers, public health officials, and politicians throughout the United States. Some legislators and policy makers have chastised the administration of President George W. Bush for allegedly yielding to the food industry and trying to dilute the WHO antiobesity plan. Among the many legis…
In 2005 a few states considered taxing foods and beverages with minimal nutritional value and using the revenues to finance school facilities or childhood obesity prevention initiatives. A bill introduced in Nebraska would impose a sales tax on snack foods to create a fund for school facilities, and Texas would impose a statewide sales tax on items listed as a "sweet" or "snac…
Mounting pressure on the food industry to change its marketing practices and offer healthier products has had some success. For example, in 2003 Coca-Cola withdrew from exclusive vending-machine contracts in schools, and acquired Odwalla, an organic fruit-juice company, to enable the company to offer healthy beverages. Kraft announced intentions to eliminate in-school marketing to children, introd…
Nearly everyone who is overweight or obese has suffered some form of bias, from disapproving glances and unsolicited advice about how to lose weight to the seemingly unending stream of "fat jokes" and the unflattering and even humiliating portrayal of overweight people in the media. Despite the pervasive anti-fat bias in American culture, until recently there were anecdotal reports, …
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