Obesity the cost of prosperity, multi-level action required.

Obesity is the cost of economic prosperity, McMaster University Professor Sonia Anand offers in a comment article, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Oct. 24, 2006 issue. She says action at all levels of government is required to deal with the issue.

Responding to a report by TH Jafar and associates and WHO studies in other parts of the world, Anand concludes that, "The strongest predictors of overweight and obesity were societal factors, including urban living and high economic status."

She adds, "These factors raise the possibility that solutions required to reverse the rising prevalence of obesity must include societal reorganization, which would ultimately lead to decreased energy intake and increased energy expenditure by individuals."

To bring changes in the prevalence of overweight, government policies and programs are needed to "ensure that health, and not short-term wealth, is at the top of their agendas." She proposes:

* the formation of effective links between governments at all levels with health care workers, and

* adequate funding of research to evaluate which of these interventions are effective.

"Canada should play a leadership role in developing and evaluating community strategies to prevent and reduce overweight and obesity, especially in high-risk groups such as Aboriginal people, people of low socioeconomic status and suburban dwellers."

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