This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Related article  • Related letters  • Similar articles in JAMA  Topic Collections  • Medical Practice  • Medical Practice, Other  • Obesity  • Public Health, Other  • Diet  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 140 words of the full text and any section headings.

To the Editor: Drs Ludwig and Pollack¹ focused on the major current public health challenge, obesity, and highlighted potential economic approaches to address the problem. There are 2 additional suggestions to consider with the intent of improving diet quality of the US population.

First, provide tax incentives to encourage large supermarkets to locate in economically disadvantaged areas. This would improve year-round access and affordability to foods consistent with public health guidelines for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Second, bring back basic food-preparation skill instruction to our schools, a version of "hunting and gathering" in the 21st century. This would empower children to have the confidence to purchase and prepare food at home and avoid fostering dependence on quick-serve establishments that are too often bereft in food choices consistent with those advocated in the classroom.

Financial Disclosures: None reported.

Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc
alice.lichtenstein@tufts.edu
Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging
Tufts University
Boston, Massachusetts

1. Ludwig DS, Pollack HA. Obesity and the economy: from crisis to opportunity. JAMA. 2009;301(5):533-535. FREE FULL TEXT

Letters Section Editor: Robert M. Golub, MD, Senior Editor.

JAMA. 2009;301(24):2547.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

RELATED ARTICLE

Obesity and the Economy: From Crisis to Opportunity
David S. Ludwig and Harold A. Pollack
JAMA. 2009;301(5):533-535.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

RELATED LETTERS

Economic Conditions and Obesity
Garry Egger and José A. Tapia Granados
JAMA. 2009;301(24):2546.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Economic Conditions and Obesity
Kristin Farry
JAMA. 2009;301(24):2546-2547.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Economic Conditions and Obesity—Reply
David S. Ludwig and Harold A. Pollack
JAMA. 2009;301(24):2547.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT