Balancing Upstream and Downstream Measures to Tackle the Obesity Epidemic: A Position Statement from the European Association for the Study of Obesity
2017
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of obesity in Europe and elsewhere is the outcome of a complex system that incorporates multiple influences. Public and political discourse on obesity focus strongly on the role of the individual, often framing obesity as a failure of willpower and placing the onus of responsibility on people themselves.
However, although decision-making at an individual level is a factor in obesity, the choices people make are largely shaped by the environments in which they live and the opportunities available to them to engage in healthy eating and regular physical activity.