May 14, 2012

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) released on May 8 it latest report on obesity in America, "Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation." The report recommends sweeping changes in five critical areas to lower obesity rates in America: physical activity, food and beverage, marketing, work and schools.

The report by the Institute of Medicine, an independent body that advises the federal government on health policy, included among it's recommendations requiring at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day in schools and considering excise taxes on sugar'sweetened beverages. It urged food companies to improve nutritional standards for foods marketed to people under 18 years old, recommending that mandatory standards be considered at all levels of government if the companies don-t adopt their own.

Schools, in particular, should be a "national focal point" for obesity prevention, because children spend up to half their waking hours and consume as many as half their daily calories there, the report said.

America's obesity epidemic is a systemic problem that will take systemic and dramatic strategies to solve it. In the ambitious 478-page report, IOM dismisses the idea that obesity is largely the result of a lack of individual willpower and instead places the onus on policy positions that have largely been resisted by industry and lawmakers (federal, state and local). In its report, the IOM advocates for a multiple strategies to change the societal and environmental factors that lead to unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Obesity is responsible for an additional $190 billion a year in health costs, or one-fifth of the all healthcare spending; Reuters reported last month, plus billions in higher health insurance premiums, lost productivity and absenteeism. Most of the experts agree that there is no "silver bullet" for combating obesity and the focus should be on a comprehensive and multi-leveled; multi-pronged approach that touches nearly every level of America life.

For a copy of the report and it brief, visit the website: iom.edu