Food and health are at the core of human existence and serve as common indicators of economic and social well-being. The simultaneous escalation in obesity rates and evidence of a food system marked by a lack of access and sustainability suggest the need for comprehensive systematic approaches to understanding, evaluating, and transforming both these complex and interrelated entities. This article reviews obesity trends and food system forces that may contribute to excessive caloric intake and food inequality. Given that obesity and food insecurity share many of the same etiologies, comprehensive evidence-based strategies designed to address shared causes may leverage the impact of shared solutions. The potential benefits of promoting healthy sustainable food systems to build healthy just communities are briefly explored to encourage more in-depth discussion.
Kumanyika SK, Parker L, Sim LJ, eds. Bridging the Evidence Gap in Obesity Prevention: A Framework to Inform Decision Making. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2010.
2.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Vital signs: state-specific obesity prevalence among adults-United States, 2009. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep.2010;59(30):951-955.
3.
US Department of Health and Human Services.Healthy People 2010. Conference ed. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2010/ . Published January 2000. Accessed January 6, 2010 .
4.
Serdula MK, Ivery D., Coates RJ, Freedman DS, Williamson DF, Byers T.Do obese children become obese adults? A review of the literature . Prev Med. 1993;22:167-177.
5.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Childhood overweight and obesity. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html. Accessed January 7, 2011.
6.
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KMPrevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008 . JAMA. 2010;303:242-224.
7.
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Flegal KMHigh body mass index for age among US children and adolescents, 2003-2006 . JAMA. 2008;299:2401-2405.
8.
Olshanskey SJ , Passaro DJ, Hershow RC, et al. Peering into the future ofAmerican longevity. Discov Med. 2005;5:130-134.
9.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention.FastStats: Leading causes of death. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm . Accessed January 7, 2010.
10.
Finkelstein EA, Trogden JG, Cohen JW, Dietz W.Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: payer- and service-specific estimates. Health Aff ( Millwood). 2009;28:w822-w831.
11.
Cawley J., Maclean JCUnfit for Service: The Implications of Rising Obesity for US Military Recruitment (NBER Working Paper No. 16408). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research; 2010.
12.
Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.Trust for America’s health. F as in fat; How obesity threatens America’s future. http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2010/Obesity2010Report.pdf. Published June 2010. Accessed January 7, 2011.
13.
Federal Interagency Workgroup.Healthy People 2020. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/objectiveslist.aspx?topicid=29. Released December 2, 2010. Accessed January 7, 2011.
14.
Koplan JP, Liverman CT , Kraak VA, eds. Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2005 .
15.
World Health Organization.Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/strategy/eb11344/strategy_english_web.pdf. Published 2004. Accessed January 7, 2011.
16.
US Department of Health and Human Services.The Surgeon General’s vision for a healthy and fit nation 2010. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/obesityvision/obesityvision2010.pdf .
17.
White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity.Solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. http://www.letsmove.gov/pdf/TFCO_Table_of_Contents.pdf. Published May 2010. Accessed January 6, 2011.
18.
Larson NI, Story MT, Nelson MCNeighborhood environments: disparities in access to healthy foods in the U.S . Am J Prev Med. 2009;36:74-81.
19.
Haung TT, Drewnowski AA, Kumanyika SK, Glass TAA systems oriented multilevel framework for addressing obesity in the 21st centuryPrev Chronic Dis.2009;6(3). http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2009/jul/09_0013.htm. Accessed January 7, 2011.
20.
Hinrichs CC, Lyson TA, eds. Remaking the American Food System: Strategies for Sustainability. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press; 2007.
21.
Jenson, J.Local and regional food systems for rural futures. http://www.rupri.org/Forms/RUPRI_Rural-Futures-Lab_2010_Food_Systems_for_Rural_Futures.pdf . Published November 2010. Accessed January 28, 2011.
22.
Pollan M.Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York, NY: Penguin; 2006.
23.
Nestle M.Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health . Berkeley, CA: University of California Press; 2002.
24.
Story M., Hamm MW, Wallinga D.Food systems and public health: linkages to achieve healthier diets and healthier communities. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2009;4:219-224.
25.
Nord M., Coleman-Jensen A., Andrews M., Carlson S.Household food security in the United States, 2009 ( Economic Research Report No. ERR-108). http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/Err108. Published November 2010. Accessed January 7, 2010.
26.
Wilkins JL, Lapp J., Tagtow A., Roberts S.Beyond eating right: the emergence of civic dietetics to foster health and sustainability through food system change. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2010;5:2-12.
27.
Rutten LJF , Yaroch AL, Colon-Ramos U., Johnson-Askew W., Story M.Poverty, food insecurity and obesity: a conceptual framework for research policy and practice. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2010;5:403-415.
28.
Christian TMGrocery store access and the food insecurity-obesity paradox. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2010;5:360-369.
29.
Ver-Ploeg M.Food environment, food store access, consumer behavior and diet. Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm and Resources Issues. 2010;25(3). http://www.choicesmagazine.org/magazine/pdf/article_137.pdf. Accessed January 6, 2010.
30.
Rose D., Bodor JN, Swalm CM, Rice JC, Farley TA, Hutchinson PLDesserts in New Orleans? Illustrations of urban food access and implications for policy. http://www.npc.umich.edu/news/events/food-access/rose_et_al.pdf.PublishedNovember2009. Accessed January 7, 2011.
31.
Winne M.Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty. Boston, MA: Beacon Press; 2008.
32.
Alaimo K., Olson CM, Frongillo EAFood insufficiency and American school-aged children’s cognitive, academic, and psychosocial development. Pediatrics. 2001;108:44-53.
33.
Richards R. , Smith C.Investigation of the hunger-obesity paradigm among shelter-based homeless women living in Minnesota. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2010;5:339-359.
34.
Center for Science in the Public Interest.Six arguments for a greener diet: how a plant based diet could save your health and the environment. http://www.cspinet.org/EatingGreen. Published 2006. Accessed January 8, 2010.
35.
American Public Health Association.Helping preserve antibiotic effectiveness by stimulating demand for meats preserved without excessive antibiotics. http://www.apha.org/advocacy/policy/policysearch/default.htm?id=1299. Published November 2004. Accessed January 8, 2011.
36.
US Census Bureau.State and County Quick Facts. Delaware. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/10000.html. Accessed January 8, 2011.
Sobal J., Kahn LK, Bisogne C.A conceptual model of the food and nutrition system. Soc Sci Med. 1998;47:853-863.
39.
Harmon A.Defining sustainability in the context of the food system: Keeping it real . Hunger and Environmental Nutrition Newsletter . Summer Edition; 2008.
40.
Herremans IM , Reid REDeveloping awareness of the sustainability concept. J Environ Educ. 2002;34:16-20.
41.
Brunddtland GHOur Common Future. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1987 .
42.
US Department of Agriculture.Sustainable agriculture: the basics. http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/terms/srb9902.shtml#toc2 . Updated November 20, 2009. Accessed January 10, 2011.
43.
Petrini C., Gigi P.Slow Food Nation: Why Our Foods Should Be Good, Clean and Fair. New York, NY: Random House; 2007 .
44.
Wallace Center, Winrock International.Vision statement of National Good Food Network. http://www.ngfn.org/NGFN_Overview%202010%2010%2020.pdf. Accessed January 10, 2011.
45.
Anderson MDRights-based food systems and the goals of food systems reform. Agric Hum Values. 2008 ;25:593-608.
46.
American Dietetic Association.Healthy land, healthy people: building a better understanding of sustainable food systems for food and nutrition professionals. http://67.199.60.150/docs/Sustainable_Primer.pdf. Accessed January 8, 2011.
47.
Lyson TA, Green J.The agricultural marketplace: a framework for sustaining agriculture and communities in the northeast. J Sustainable Agric. 1999 ;15:133-150.
48.
Principles of a Healthy Sustainable Food System. http://www.planning.org/nationalcenters/health/pdf/HealthySustainableFoodSystemsPrinciples.pdf. Accessed January 9, 2011.
49.
Bread for the World.Home page. http://www.bread.org/. Accessed January 9, 2011. 50. Food Research Action Center.Home page. http://frac.org/ . Accessed January 9, 2011.
50.
Community Food Security Coalition.Building community food security: lessons from community food projects, 1999-2003. http://www.foodsecurity.org/BuildingCommunityFoodSecurity.pdf . Accessed January 9, 2011.
51.
Gillespe AH , Smith LEFood decision making framework: connecting sustainable food systems to health and well-being. J Hunger Environ Nutr. 2008;3:328-346.
52.
Berry W.The Pleasures of Eating. In What Are People For?New York, NY: North Point Press; 1990.
