Obesity continues to get worse in the United States and experts say cultural change and investment by the entire community --- including not only healthcare providers, but the government, leaders, businesses, social groups, and individual families --- must occur to properly address the issue.
Farshad Fani Marvasti, director of public health, prevention and health promotion curriculum at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, said although individual behavior and lifestyle choices play a major role, the exponential increase in obesity rates over the last several decades is directly linked to changes in the food system and activity levels.
“These system-level changes have made unhealthy, processed food that is high in calories and low in nutrients cheap and widely available. And with the advances in computer technology and need for more screen time, we are more sedentary than ever before,” he said. “This has been a terrible combination, a perfect storm which must be addressed on multiple fronts on a grand scale with policy changes to effectively combat and stem the rising tide of obesity.”
