Dear contributors,
Thank you to everyone who has shared ideas and provided case studies so far!
Very insightful cases of policies and programs addressing obesity and overweight have been presented. Some of them might serve as a model for similar practices, while the analysis of the failed ones will be very useful to avoid making the same mistakes.
In addition, many of you have pointed out the need of a comprehensive understanding of the driving factors behind overeating, and the need to contextualize them taking into account ethnicity, occupation, region and social considerations. It is also important to consider the industry reactions and the ways people change their consumption patterns.
Another very interesting contribution was the one that linked trade and obesity, stating that the lack of legally binding health and dietary standards impairs the implementation of national measures.
Please keep these cases coming! I am interested to hear about unhealthy food taxes, labelling and restrictions to unhealthy food advertising. Also I would be very interested to know if there are any particular examples of how the industry can be encouraged to provide healthy foods.
Thank you for these and your other rich contributions!
Best regards,
Francisca
Dr. Francisca Silva