Research Beat
Weighing in on obesity issue
BY Meg Sullivan
UCLA Today
Is the obesity epidemic just bloated media hype? UCLA sociologist Abigail C. Saguy took a good look at more than 100 books and articles on the subject and interviewed researchers and activists. The study by Saguy and her co-author Kevin W. Riley, a graduate student in sociology, was reported in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law.
So are we experiencing an obesity epidemic? According to the classic definition, the steady rise in Americans with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more — the traditional definition for obesity — does not constitute an epidemic. The term “epidemic” refers to the rapid and episodic onset of infectious diseases and is associated with fear of sudden widespread death.
Don’t most people agree that obesity is a growing problem?
The study results reflect a mounting opposition to anti-obesity messages since 1994, when expanding waistlines first grabbed public attention. In the intervening decade, the number of articles published about obesity has tripled in medical journals and quadrupled in the popular press. The most alarmist of the scientific studies have received a disproportionate share of coverage.
Is obesity bad for your health?
The jury is still out on many aspects of weight management, including an individual’s ability to control his or her weight and the potential benefits of doing so. And there is considerable disagreement in this country over many questions related to weight and health, including if or why higher weights have adverse health consequences.
Despite the hoopla, Americans are still getting fatter. Why?
Weight loss is elusive for 75%-95% of participants of commercial weight-loss programs in one- to three-year follow-ups. If one assumes that weight is largely outside of personal control, then raising concern over the health risks associated with obesity has little remedial function.
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