Individual, Social, Economic, and Environmental Model: A Paradigm Shift for Obesity Prevention

Abstract

Obesity has joined the list of "wicked problems" with associated implications for public health, food security, and the entire food supply chain. This paper examines the possible causes, consequences, and policy implications, especially important in an environment of shrinking budgets. The causes of obesity are multifaceted and involve complex interactions; hence any successful prevention and mitigation strategy should identify the key factors and interactions thereof. We propose a dynamic and integrated individual, social, economic and environmental model (ISEEM) to accomplish this. Within this framework, the optimal mix of economic incentives, better education, and land use planning emerge as key factors in obesity prevention and mitigation and the promotion of healthier, more sustainable communities. The use of the ISEEM framework, involving a combination of strategies targeted to specific circumstances of individual communities and localities, could address this wicked problem in an environment characterized by increasing conflicts among budgets, heuristics, and politics.

Associations between the built environment and obesity: an umbrella review

“…Obesity continues to be a major health issue and its wicked nature keeps challenging scientists and policymakers around the world [ 1 ]. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 1.9 billion adults, or 25% of the world’s population, are overweight; among which, a third is obese [ 2 ].…”

Application of the NEOH Framework for Self-Evaluation of One Health Elements of a Case-Study on Obesity in European Dogs and Dog-Owners

“…It is increasingly recognized as a “wicked problem,” because it is highly complex and resistant to resolution with no clear stopping points. Furthermore, attempts to solve it might reveal or create new problems, because it is a symptom of other underlying problems with systemicsocietal, environmental and economic drivers ( 1 ). Obesity is associated with different pathologies including orthopedic and respiratory diseases, endocrinologic and oncologic disorders, compromised well-being, and decreased life-span ( 2 , 3 ).…”

The Role of Recreational Online Activities in School-Based Screen Time Sedentary Behaviour Interventions for Adolescents: A Systematic and Critical Literature Review

“…Other findings claim obesity to be irrespective of PA levels and not associated with less engagement in leisure-time physical activities (Gebremariam et al 2013;Mendoza et al 2007). Given the multi-factorial nature of obesity (Hamulka et al 2018), various intrapersonal and interpersonal correlates interact, touching upon individual, social and environmental factors, which have been evidenced as protective or risk functions (Amarasinghe and D'Souza 2012). ST has been associated with other lifestyle choices (such as sleep, diet and sedentariness), which interact promoting obesity, arguably in a dose-response manner, suggesting there is a need for integrated efforts in prevention (Chaput 2017), with attention to the specific activities because correlates differ between television and computer use (Babey et al 2013), but with significant confounding variables (Busch et al 2013).…”