We here at Brown Miller Communications are firm believers in the idea that unhealthy lifestyles and rising obesity rates aren't just a matter of individuals needing to make better choices. When it comes to discussing the best way to combat the obesity crisis, the loudest voices you hear are often the ones insisting it’s all about personal responsibility – that people are fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. We’ve worked very hard to shift that perception and highlight the role the environment plays in the whole equation.
I was really happy to see “Fighting Obesity May Take a Village” in The Wall Street Journal. Matthew Dalton discusses the new strategy many countries are pursuing to address alarming rates of childhood obesity.
“The idea is that governments must actively work to change environments and reduce the menu of harmful options available in everyday life.”
A European program known as Epode — a French acronym for Together Let's Prevent Childhood Obesity — began in two French towns in 1992 and successfully lowered childhood obesity rates (from 11.2 percent in 1992 to 8.8 percent in 2004). Obesity rates in two neighboring towns that didn’t institute the program rose from 12.6 percent to 17.8 percent during the same time period. The program has spread to other communities in France as well as Spain, Belgium, Greece and Australia. It’s time programs like this are embraced here.
Over the summer, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published its first list of recommended community obesity-prevention strategies, but did caution that because the concept is so new there’s not much evidence to prove that it actually works. According to The Wall Street Journal article, experts say “a community-based approach to fighting obesity is probably the most promising policy available.”
It’s time to take the ball and run with it. There sure can’t be any harm in trying.
~ Nicole
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