Questioning the effectiveness of public policies in curbing obesity, researchers find individuals are more to blame for this weight disorder than restaurants and fast food joints.
Obesity has rapidly become a serious health hazard; so much so that the American Medical Association has termed it as a disease rather than a disorder. The blame game has become very common while looking for the root of this problem. So who is actually responsible for the growing number of obese or overweight people in the United States?
Food economists from the University of Illinois conducted a survey to find an answer to this question. Though fast food joints and restaurants have taken a lot of heat for the rise in obesity in the country, results of the survey revealed that individuals and not fast food eateries are majorly responsible for the growing rate of obesity. The survey also revealed that public policies are not as effective as expected in curbing this malaise.
"Obesity is in the news every day so it would be hard to say that people are unaware of the policy initiatives in place to reduce U.S. obesity rates," University of Illinois researcher, Brenna Ellison, said. "Based on our study results, the more likely conclusion is that consumers' beliefs about who is to blame for obesity don't necessarily align with the beliefs of policy makers and public health advocates. In the United States, we're known for being an individualistic-based society, so it's not exceptionally surprising that we would put this responsibility for obesity on ourselves."
The survey was done more than 800 people in the United States. Participants were asked to categorize seven entities (individuals, parents, farmers, food manufacturers, grocery stores, restaurants, and government policies) into groups labeled primarily to blame, somewhat to blame, or not to blame for obesity.
The studies revealed 94 percent of the participants blamed individuals as being responsible for obesity. Parents came in second with 91 percent of the participants stating they were to blame. Surprisingly, restaurants and food manufacturers were not among the top three causes of obesity.
"We learned that farmers and people who received food stamps were more likely to blame government and farm policy. That seems off. You wouldn't expect that opinion from people who are benefiting from those policies; however, these individuals could be in the best position to observe the potential harm that some government policies create," Ellison said.
The findings of this study highlight two very important questions. Despite people becoming more fitness conscious why aren't consumers responding to increased soda prices or calorie information on menus? More importantly, why aren't these policies working?
One explanation could be because people are not buying into these policies. They need something that will highlight the negative consequences of obesity on a bigger scale
"Unquestionably, U.S. obesity and overweight rates are much higher than they were 20 or 30 years ago so it is not surprising that policy makers and public health officials are looking for potential solutions. That being said, if individuals view obesity as a personal problem, how confident can we be that these solutions will work? We need to be realistic about the solutions we're proposing and implementing, and if people are not buying into them, they may need to be re-evaluated," he added.
While public policies may not have been as effective as they are meant to be, they have still had some positive impact of people. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service report, the nutrition label printed on food items and calorie intake on restaurant menus has helped Americans make healthier food choices. They have begun consuming fewer calories and cholesterol and increasing their intake of fiber.
There is still a long way to go for the country to get this disorder under control. More than one-third (36%) of U.S. adults were obese in 2009-10, up from an estimated 15% in 1980, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But the rate remained level in 2012 compared with the prior years in every state except Arkansas, according to a January 2013 study by two nonprofit groups.