For the benefit of my students who are studying diet/health-related issues for their assignment - here is the 'copy and pasted' summary of the points raised in the recent seminar I attended, with links to the full presentations at the end if required....

Obesity: understanding the role of the social & physical environment
ESRC Seminar Series, UCL, 17/01/07
Introduction

• Are we promoting ‘Obesogenic’ behaviours or environment?


• Physical/economic/socio-cultural/political


• Research on obesity issues has focused on access to food (e.g. in school & workplaces) and advertising. These papers focus on other aspects such as peer group behaviours or social/cultural networks.
  
  Self-identity(ies) & body image


• Extended boundaries of ‘normality’: GPs dismiss – use non-confrontational language e.g. “puppy fat” etc. Words ‘diet’ and ‘child’ together perceived as not morally right. (Public awareness & fear of anorexia?) Contrast with fact that obesity is subjected to moral judgement and perceived as a type of ‘social deviance’.


• Government Policy focus: on educating parents (empowerment) - But research suggests that “children are in charge”.


• Parents’ dilemma: stigma “their fault” so support child – provide more treats! Sweets still seen as ‘reward’ (and withdrawal of sweets as ‘punishment’) and parents: “don’t want to deny child” foods low in nutritional value often available to all family members - “something good that’s not bad”


• Parents often ‘not bothered’ about child’s obesity – viewed as part of ‘family identity’ (“in the genes’)


• Questionnaire - Difficulties with young adults and exercise – i.e. sport/in the park/cycling. (But what does “active” mean)?


• 16-24 age group = lowest intake of fruit of veg.

See: Curtis, P. Fisher, P. (In Press) Bringing it all home: families with children with obesity University of Sheffield

Focus on prevention

• Germany, UK, Australia and the US - highest Obesity rates and still rising.


• Long-term effectiveness of obesity treatment very low -Prevention has slightly better outcomes, (e.g. school kids undertaking PE classes).


• Cultural differences in exercise – e.g. UK few student bike to college, in The Netherlands most do!


• Motivation/ability/opportunity: Objective vs subjective - seeing an opportunity for exercise.
  
  See Brug, J. (2007) What is the evidence for an Obesogenic food environment? Am J Prev Med
  
  Further info and downloads of presentations available at
  www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/obesity