User:Adam Harangozó (NIHR WiR)/sandbox/obesity

Obesity is increasingly seen as a complex, public health issue. Besides the individual options to manage obesity, the wider social, political, economical and environmental context also impacts how obesity can be prevented and managed. Community-based programmes, local and national policies and regulation can also help tackling obesity. Solutions look at changing the factors that cause excess food energy consumption and inhibit physical activity. Efforts include reimbursed meal programs in schools, limiting direct junk food marketing to children, and decreasing access to sugar-sweetened beverages in schools. The World Health Organization recommends the taxing of sugary drinks. When constructing urban environments, efforts have been made to increase access to parks and to develop pedestrian routes. There is low quality evidence that nutritional labelling with energy information on menus can help to reduce energy intake while dining in restaurants.

So far mass media campaigns seem to have a limited effectiveness in changing behavior that influences obesity. At the same time they can increase knowledge and awareness regarding physical activity and diet which might lead to changes in the long term. Campaigns might also be able to reduce the amount of time spent sitting or lying down and positively impact the intention to be active physically.