The stigma of obesity in the general public and its implications for public health - a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Up to this date, prevalence rates of obesity are still rising. Aside from co-morbid diseases, perceived discrimination and stigmatization leads to worsen outcomes in obese individuals. Higher stigmatizing attitudes towards obese individuals may also result in less support of preventive and interventive measures. In light of the immense burden of obesity on health care systems and also on the individuals' quality of life, accepted and subsidized preventive measures are needed. Policy support might be determined by views of the lay public on causes of obesity and resulting weight stigma. This study seeks to answer how representative samples of the lay public perceive people with obesity or overweight status (stigmatizing attitudes); what these samples attribute obesity to (causal attribution) and what types of interventions are supported by the lay public and which factors determine that support (prevention support).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature search was conducted. All studies of representative samples reporting results on (a) stigmatizing attitudes towards overweight and obese individuals, (b) causal beliefs and (c) prevention support were included.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 7 articles were found. One study reported prevalence rates of stigmatizing attitudes. About a quarter of the population in Germany displayed definite stigmatizing attitudes. Other studies reported causal attributions. While external influences on weight are considered as well, it seems that internal factors are rated to be of higher importance. Across the studies found, regulative prevention is supported by about half of the population, while childhood prevention has highest approval rates. Results on sociodemographic determinants differ substantially.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Further research on public attitudes toward and perception of overweight and obesity is urgently needed to depict the prevailing degree of stigmatization. Introducing a multidimensional concept of the etiology of obesity to the lay public might be a starting point in stigma reduction.</p

An Assessment of Health-Economic Burden of Obesity Trends with Population-Based Preventive Strategies in a Developed Economy

The burden of obesity varies with age, ethnicity, socio-economic status and state economies. All new projections should hence accommodate population ageing, and other population changes such as immigration, health-care system reform, or technological advances for disease treatment for a comprehensible assessment of global burden. The unfordable and expensive nature for reversing the obesity tide arises from policies developed to combat obesity. Most of these approaches aim at bringing the problem under control, rather than affecting a cure, and obviously require a multi-disciplinary and intensive regimen. Prevention is the only feasible option and is essential for all affected countries. Yet it is not simple to have population based UK-wide strategic framework for tackling obesity. Besides existence of multiple layers of governance, there are clear demarcations between targets in diet; nutrition and physical activity level between regions some of which are not realistic. Population based approaches target policies and process, aiming for a transition towards healthy population diets, activity levels and weight status. It is essential to understand these aspects differ culturally and between and within countries. There are still no clear and appropriate answers about answer when, where, why, and, how costs accrue in obese populations, further long term commitments are required for the same. Most population-based prevention policies are cost effective, largely paying for themselves through future health gains and resulting reductions in health expenditures. Therefore these prevention programs should be high on the scientific and political agendas

Can Law Improve Prevention and Treatment of Cancer?

The December 2011 issue of Public Health (the Journal of the Royal Society for Public Health) contains a symposium entitled: Legislate, Regulate, Litigate? Legal approaches to the prevention and treatment of cancer. This symposium explores the possibilities for using law and regulation – both internationally and at the national level – as the policy instrument for preventing and improving the treatment of cancer and other leading non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In this editorial, we argue that there is an urgent need for more legal scholarship on cancer and other leading NCDs, as well as greater dialogue between lawyers, public health practitioners and policy-makers about priorities for law reform, and feasible legal strategies for reducing the prevalence of leading risk factors. The editorial discusses two important challenges that frequently stand in the way of a more effective use of law in this area. The first is the tendency to dismiss risk factors for NCDs as purely a matter of individual \u27personal responsibility\u27; the second is the fact that effective regulatory responses to risks for cancer and NCDs will in many cases provoke conflict with the tobacco, alcohol and food industries. After briefly identifying some of the strategies that law can deploy in the prevention of NCDs, we briefly introduce each of the ten papers that make up the symposium

Pre-service health and physical education teachers’ obesity-related nutrition knowledge and food habits

This study aimed to quantify the levels of nutrition knowledge of pre-service health and physical education teachers as well as their ability to provide suitable weight-based advice to overweight adolescents. The influence of degree progression, gender and their own food habits on knowledge and ability was also assessed. Pre-service health and physical educators (n=72) were surveyed at three consecutive points in their degree with a questionnaire designed to extract information on demographics, food habits, nutrition knowledge related to obesity and knowledge about obesity counselling. Degree progression resulted in improvements to nutrition knowledge, as expected. When surveyed just prior to degree completion, scores on repeated measures reflect inaccuracies in obesity related nutrition knowledge and the propensity to advocate inappropriate weight-control advice to future overweight students. Females had higher levels of obesity-related nutrition knowledge than males. Gender was also significantly associated with obesity counselling knowledge among students in their second and fourth years of study and with dieting behaviours in second- and third-year students, with female students more likely to diet for weight control than their male peers. These results identify the need for further research into methods of increasing nutrition knowledge and obesity counselling skills in pre-service health and physical education teachers

Effects of Eat Better, Move More (EBMM) Educational Program on Obesity Rates in Latino Children Residing in Northwest Arkansas

Background: Childhood obesity, especially in ethnic minority populations, is a growing problem with no signs of improvement over the past decade. The Latino population is one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. Unfortunately, they have experienced substantial health disparities and socioeconomic disadvantages that contribute to the high rates of obesity in their youth. Decreasing obesity rates would not only have many health advantages, but also financial benefits as well. It would reduce the risk of co-morbidities such as cardiovascular disease and depression. Healthy children are more likely to grow into healthy adults, ultimately lowering the cost of healthcare for this population. Objective: The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of proper nutrition and foster positive attitudes towards healthy habits. It aims to specifically target behaviors that decrease the likelihood of childhood obesity, in 4th-5th grade children by educating their parents. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, parental knowledge of healthy lifestyle behaviors of parents at the study site elementary school were collected prior to and after the education sessions. “Healthy Habits” and “Parental Feeding Style” pre-test and post-test were completed by the caregiver group in their native language. The data gathered compared the knowledge of the students and guardians before and after four education sessions to evaluate the effectiveness of the Eat Better, Move More (EBMM) program. The program was designed to answer the following research question: What is the effect of Eat Better, Move More education program on parents of school-age children on healthy lifestyle behaviors (self and home), including food choices, physical activity and sleep habits? Results: Although the results were not statistically significant due to the inconsistency of the sample size, exposure to the educational program positively influenced healthy habits and increased the knowledge of the caregivers involved. With the limitations of time, only the preliminary data was collected and analyzed. The post-survey will be administered and the results will be compared in May 2019. Conclusion: It is hoped that the Eat Better, Move More educational program will increase understanding of the behaviors and practices contributing to the complicated nature of the obesity epidemic among school age children. Ultimately, the program aims to decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity in ethnic minorities throughout Northwest Arkansas

Trend of stunting, overweight and obesity among children under five years in a rural area in Northern Iran, 1998–2013: Results of three cross-sectional studies

Background: Obesity is a common health problem in the world and the purpose of this study was to identify the trend of overweight, obesity and stunting among children under five from 1998 to 2013 that was carried out in three stages in the villages of Golestan province in the northern Iran (south east of the Caspian Sea). Methods: Three cross-sectional studies with sample sizes of 7575, including 2339, 2749 and 2487 cases were carried out in 1998, 2004 and 2013, respectively. Among 118 villages, 20 were chosen by random sampling and all of the under-five-children in these villages were assessed. For all subjects, a questionnaire was completed and anthropometric indices were measured. Z-score was used for body index classification with following categories: Z ≤ 2SD=Normal or under-nutrition; >2SD Z ≤3SD = Overweight and Z>3SD = Obesity. P-value under 0.05 indicated significance. Results: In 1998, 2004 and 2013, the prevalence of overweight was 8.5% (95% Cl; 7.3–9.6), 3.3% (95% Cl; 2.7–4.0) and 5.2% (95% Cl; 4.2–6.1), that of obesity was 4.6%(95% Cl; 3.8–3.5), 1.2% (95% Cl; 0.8–1.6) and 3.5% (95% Cl; 2.8–4.3), and that of stunting was 32.8% (95% Cl; 31.0–34.6), 13.4% (95% Cl; 12.2–14.6) and 15.7% (95% Cl;14.3–17.2), respectively. In boys, the mean of height was significantly different in all age groups while the mean of weight was significant only at ages 13–24, 37–48 and 49–60 months (P< 0.005 for all). In girls, the mean of height significantly different from 36 months age (P < 0.01) whereas weight difference was significant only at age of 37–48 months (P = 0.002). Conclusion: A heterogenic trend was seen in stunting, overweight and obesity. Although short stature was the main cause of obesity in 1998, extra weight was its major cause in 2013. Renewed increase of obesity among children under-five is considerable in the northern Iran. © 2016, Academy of Medical Sciences of the I.R. Iran

An economic framework for analysing the social determinants of health and health inequalities

Reducing health inequalities is an important part of health policy in most countries. This paper discusses from an economic perspective how government policy can influence health inequalities, particularly focusing on the outcome of performance targets in England, and the role of sectors of the economy outside the health service – the ‘social determinants’ of health - in delivering these targets.

Cultural challenges to secondary prevention: Implications for Saudi women

Like other highly developed countries, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease (CHD) are major health problems in Saudi Arabia. The aetiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden within the Saudi population is similar to Western countries with atherosclerosis, hypertension, ischemic heart disease and diabetes highly prevalent with the main risk factors being smoking, obesity and inactivity. There are differences between Saudi men and women in epidemiology, risk factors and health service provision for CHD. These sex and gender based factors are important in considering the health and well-being of Saudi women. Currently, there is limited focus on the cardiovascular health of Saudi women. The aim of this paper is to examine culturally specific issues for Saudi women and the implications for secondary prevention