Assignment 10: Read a work of non-fiction related to health policy
The Weight of the Nation
Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic
“The Weight of the Nation” is a documentary on the obesity epidemic in the United
States. This documentary is divided into four separate, but connected films. The four
parts are titled “Consequences, Choices, Children in Crisis and Challenges”. This
report will focus on the health policy issues present in the 3rd and 4th film: Children
in Crisis and Challenges.
The film states that government has to be apart of the solution because obesity,
especially childhood obesity, is a problem that has to be solved in a macroenvironment. “The whole point of government is to solve problems we can not
solve as an individual”.
I selected this documentary because childhood obesity is a problem I am passionate
about solving. I am also doing an independent study this semester on solving
childhood obesity within the framework of an Accountable Care Organization.
One major area part three addresses is media advertising to children on television.
Food advertising to children is “Powerful, Pernicious, Predatory”, and “ about 1.5
billion dollars are spent each year on advertising to children in the U.S.” and that
food marketing shapes what children what to eat in childhood, but also their dietary
decisions later in life.
“The first amendment does not give companies a right to deceive children or
undermine their health or promote unhealthy products to children, children that do
not fully understand what marketing is.” (Margo Wootan, DSc. Director, Nutrition
Policy Canter for Science in the Public Interest.)
(Policy nouns and verbs are in bold)
In 2006, the IOM, institute of medicine, recommended limiting the marketing of
unhealthy food to children. Food advertising to children is fully self-regulated by
Assignment 10: Read a work of non-fiction related to health policy
The Weight of the Nation
Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic
food manufacturers, not government agencies. So the U.S. congress created an IWG,
Interagency Work Group, on foods marketed to children to improve the
nutritional profile of youth diets. The four government agencies included the CDC,
FDA, Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Agriculture. The IWG
presented their research and recommendations to the House subcommittee on
Health, chaired by congressmen Joe Pitts from Pennsylvania. The subcommittee
did not take their recommendations into account and instructed the IWG to conduct
further studies and only report those findings.
A vast majority of U.S. schools participate in the National School Lunch Program.
According to a study by the USDA 88.9% of parents believed meals served in their
child’s school was “ very or somewhat healthy” However, the same USDA study
found that 94% of school served a lunch that failed to meet USDA standards for
healthy school meals.
December 2nd, 2010 Congress passed the “Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act”. This act
allowed the USDA to raise school nutrition standards based off findings by the IOM.
However, within one year U.S. Congress passed a separate spending bill that
reversed some gains previously made. The spending bill classifies French fries as a
vegetable and tomato paste on pizza as a vegetable. Originally, the act set all grains
to be serves in schools must be 50% whole grain and increasing that number to
100% in two years, however the spending bill repealed this decision on whole
grains.
(Ah HA!)
It is clear that congressmen do bow down to special interests and overlook what is
necessary and good for the American people. The medical and scientific community
agreed on nutritional standards to raise the quality of school meals given to
America’s children. The IWG also found the current status of school lunches in this
country to be inadequate and unhealthy. It is a sad reality that congressmen, mostly
Assignment 10: Read a work of non-fiction related to health policy
The Weight of the Nation
Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic
republicans in this case, rather protect tomato and potato farmer profits, mainly
Monsanto and other big business, rather than protect children.
I highly recommend that my friends and classmates watch this documentary in its
entirety. All four parts address the obesity epidemic from different viewpoints and
provide many different solutions to help America lose weight. The tag line of the
film is “In order to win, we have to lose”. The Weight of the Nation provides eyeopening statistics and plenty of scholarly research to present a holistic approach to
combat America’s gravest health problem. The purpose would be to educate the
viewer on the real problems causing obesity and the best solutions to solve the
crisis of this epidemic.