Why Public Health Policy Failed

The number of the population that are overweight or obese, and the way the numbers have progressively increased, inevitably leads to the conclusion that health policy has failed. There are two main reasons. Firstly, so many factors are involved in encouraging obesity that any single intervention is bound to fail. Secondly, the number of calories consumed is so much greater than we need, that any reduction in intake has been insufficient. The basic theory that you should “eat less and move more” does not stand examination, and attention has been addressed to particular nutrients or particular food items, when they should not be considered in isolation. We all have a dietary pattern, so for example, the drinking of sugary drinks is associated with a diet high in fat and low in fruit. As such, one food item should not be considered in isolation. Finally the nature of government strategies are considered, and they are found to have been created in a form that makes implementation difficult.