US obesity fight needs dramatic measures

Americas obesity epidemic is so deeply rooted that it will take dramatic and systemic measures from overhauling farm policies and zoning laws to,possibly,introducing a soda tax to fix it,the influential Institute of Medicine said on Tuesday.

In a 478-page report,the IOM refutes the idea that obesity is largely the result of a lack of willpower. Instead,it embraces policy proposals that have met with stiff resistance from the food industry and lawmakers,arguing that multiple strategies will be needed to make the US environment less obesogenic.

The IOM offers advice to the government and others on health issues. Its report was released at the Weight of the Nation conference,a three-day meeting hosted by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

A study funded by the CDC and released Monday projected that by 2030,42 per cent of American adults will be obese,compared to 34 per cent now,and 11 per cent will be severely obese,compared to the current 6 per cent. Another one-third of American adults are overweight,and one-third of children aged 2 to 19 are overweight or obese.