A Health Equity Approach to Obesity Efforts

The obesity crisis in the United States disproportionately affects some demographic groups more than others. Contextual influences on obesity are complex and include an individual's weight-related behaviors and outcomes, the intermediate variables that influence these behaviors and outcomes, and broader, upstream historical, social, economic, physical, and policy contexts.

The National Academies convened a workshop on April 1, 2019 to explore the history of health equity issues in demographic groups that have above-average obesity risk and to consider principles and approaches to address these issues as part of obesity prevention and treatment efforts. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Table of Contents

• Front Matter
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Setting the Stage: Key Definitions and Contexts
• 3 Disparities in the Prevalence of Obesity
• 4 Social Determinants of Health Inequities in Obesity Prevention and Control
• 5 Lessons from the Field: Achieving Equity in Community and Public Health Approaches for Preventing and Treating Obesity
• 6 Lessons from the Field: Achieving Equity in Obesity Treatment in Health Care Settings
• 7 Reflections
• References
• Appendix A: Workshop Agenda
• Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Appendix C: Background Resources
• Appendix D: Selected U.S. Laws and Opinions That Impact Civil Rights
• Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Planning Committee Members
<