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Lawrence O. Gostin, JD

JAMA. 2007;297:87-90.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Public health agencies face considerable challenges trying to prevent overweight and obesity in society, primarily because a person's own behavior is often the root cause of the disease. Individuals make personal choices about their diet, exercise, and lifestyle, so disease is often thought of as a matter of personal, not governmental, responsibility.

Obesity, one of the 10 leading US health indicators,¹ is associated with increased risk of death from type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers.² Yet the proportion of overweight and obese children and adults is alarmingly high and continues to increase. In 2005, 60.5% of adults in the United States were overweight (body mass index, 25-30), 23.9% were obese (body mass index, 31-40), and 3% were extremely obese (body mass index >40). African Americans have the highest obesity prevalence at 33.9%.³ The prevalence of adult obesity increased significantly in every . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Disclosure

Author Affiliation: O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC; and Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Md.

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