Policies that Affect Weight
Policies are implemented to promote healthy changes in people’s weight. The chapter, “The Cost of Obesity,” shows how much obesity is impacting the healthcare field through the amount of money it costs to take care of obese people. It also highlights the amount of money that individual people spend and potentially could save every year if they were in better health. The importance of policies is made clear by this chapter.
“Food Marketing to Children” explains how advertisements on television and media platforms have contributed to the childhood obesity crisis. Advertisements target children due to their inability to understand bias, yet there is little regulation on this advertising. This chapter provides information about child-targeted advertising, regulations in place, and discusses what can be done to promote change.
“The Government: Fight Against Child Obesity” is primarily about the policies and programs that have been implemented by the government in an attempt to decrease the amount of childhood obesity in the United States. Some of these include the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant, and Children, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and Let’s Move. All of these programs aim to promote healthy eating behaviors in children to make for a better future.
“Zoning Laws and Obesity” talks about how zoning laws in the country can be used to promote healthier lifestyles. The primary purpose of zoning laws is to help governments protect property values by establishing rules and regulations about what can be built and where it can be built. However, zoning laws have been experimentally used to combat obesity problems. These laws have been tested on their ability to stop the building of fast-food restaurants in particular places and to promote healthy living.
All of these chapters belong in the section of policies because they discuss the importance of policies and how they could be used to reduce obesity levels.
