Who Is to Blame for Obesity?
Since the mid-1980s, Americans have gotten fatter. Numerous policy initiatives have failed to reverse the upward trend in body weights, and the Center for Disease Control labels obesity as an “epidemic” generating enormous health costs. Plaintiffs’ lawyers and public health organizations are devising litigation to address this problem with the argument that false advertising contributes to or causes many weight problems. On the first panel of this event, scholars will discuss their empirical research into the causes of U.S. obesity, which include declining food prices and a decrease in on-the-job physical activity. Speakers on the second panel will discuss the legal basis for obesity suits and the merits of regulating and legislating in this area.
“It’s the fast food outlets – supplying us with fatty foods”. “Our thin-obsessed society is putting all sorts of pressure on even slightly overweight folks”. “The weight loss industry is to blame – after all if everyone was slim – they would go out of business”. Some will simply blame the overweight person – making generalizations and attaching unhelpful labels to the person. “After all” they say, “it’s up to us to manage what we eat and how much we exercise”. There is truth in this, but it is too simplistic. Many overweight people have tried desperately to eat ‘properly’ to manage their weight – yet continue to struggle for years. There are a number of outside forces here that have more of an influence than we realise.
