DOC News March 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 3 p. 7
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Americans Favor Policy Changes on Obesity
Nick Kolakowski
Americans strongly support public policy changes aimed at curbing adult
obesity—such as tax incentives for employers that offer exercise space
to their workers.
The responses appear in a new study reported in the January issue of
American Journal of Preventive
Medicine.1
Participants in a phone survey were asked to what degree they favored certain
health care and employment-related policy strategies for combating adult
obesity, which is seen as a high public health priority. In addition,
participants were asked about their personal beliefs as to the causes of
obesity.
"There haven't been very many surveys of the public of what they
would be in favor of," says Bernard Fuemmeler, PhD, MPH, lead researcher
and an assistant professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine
at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. "People do recognize
that it's not just an individual's problem; it's a problem for a
society," he says.
"If we could look at what kind of strategies people would
endorse," Fuemmeler adds, "we'd have a better chance of matching
an effective strategy with a preferred one."
In the study, some 85% of the 1,139 people polled in September 2004 felt
that employers who make exercise space available to workers should receive tax
breaks; another 73% would support government incentives for companies that
reduce the cost of health insurance for workers who adopt healthier lifestyles
and lose weight. Almost as many—72%—said the government should
require insurance companies to cover obesity treatment and prevention
programs.
The study asked respondents about factors behind the obesity epidemic. Some
73% said the cost of healthy food is key, while >78% cited lack of
willpower on the part of overweight people. Some 38% blamed obesity on
"bad genes," while almost 34% pointed to consumers' lack of
knowledge. As part of the survey, respondents were asked to rate their own
body mass index (BMI) according to three measures: normal (44.5%), overweight
(33.6%), and obese (21.8%).
"Males were more likely to believe that obesity is caused by a lack
of willpower, and also the cost of healthy foods," says Fuemmeler. Women
were more likely to favor policy requiring health insurance companies to
reimburse obesity treatment and participation in prevention
programs.
How much people weighed made little difference in whether they supported
tax breaks and other public policy changes. Both normal-weight and obese
respondents supported subsidizing health insurance costs to reward healthier
workers. "People generally see the benefit of it," says
Fuemmeler.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), >60
million people 
20 years of age are obese—roughly a third of that
particular demographic. In 1998 (the last year for which CDC has figures),
Americans devoted some 9% of their medical expenses to dealing with health
problems related to overweight or obesity.
Fuemmeler thinks data from further studies could help "develop
policies that would be favored and effective." 
References
1. Fuemmeler BF, Baffi C, Masse LC, et al.: Employer and healthcare
policy interventions aimed at adult obesity. Am J Prev
Med 32:44–51, 2007.[Medline]
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