Wadden Thomas A, Brownell Kelly D, Foster Gary D
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
J Consult Clin Psychol. 2002 Jun;70(3):510-25. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.70.3.510.
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and other developed nations. In the United States, 27% of adults are obese and an additional 34% are overweight. Research in the past decade has shown that genetic influences clearly predispose some individuals to obesity. The marked increase in prevalence, however, appears to be attributable to a toxic environment that implicitly discourages physical activity while explicitly encouraging the consumption of supersized portions of high-fat, high-sugar foods. Management of the obesity epidemic will require a two-pronged approach. First, better treatments, including behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions, are needed for individuals who are already obese. The second and potentially more promising approach is to prevent the development of obesity by tackling the toxic environment. This will require bold public policy initiatives such as regulating food advertising directed at children. The authors call not for the adoption of a specific policy initiative, but instead propose that policy research, based on viewing obesity as a public health problem, become a central focus of research.
肥胖在美国及其他发达国家已呈泛滥之势。在美国，27%的成年人肥胖，另有34%超重。过去十年的研究表明，遗传因素显然使一些人易患肥胖症。然而，肥胖症患病率的显著上升似乎归因于一种有害环境，这种环境无形中不利于体育活动，同时却公然鼓励人们食用超大份的高脂肪、高糖食品。应对肥胖症泛滥需要采取双管齐下的方法。首先，对于已经肥胖的人，需要更好的治疗方法，包括行为、药物和手术干预。第二种且可能更有前景的方法是通过应对有害环境来预防肥胖症的发生。这将需要大胆的公共政策举措，比如对针对儿童的食品广告进行监管。作者并非呼吁采取某一项具体的政策举措，而是提议基于将肥胖视为一个公共卫生问题的政策研究应成为研究的核心焦点。
