A viewpoint piece in the Sept. 19, 2012 Journal of the American Medical Association (Volume 308, Number 11) recommends next steps for obesity research in dealing with the obesity epidemic. Authored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Director Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., and National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D, the introduction from “The Next Generation of Obesity Research: No Time To Waste,” appears below.
THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC IS NOT THE FIRST MAJOR health crisis that the United States has faced. In recent decades, progress has been made against such daunting challenges as tobacco use, infant mortality, and HIV/AIDS. However, obesity may pose the most significant challenge yet because it involves changing approaches to 2 fundamental aspects of daily life: food consumption and physical activity. To have any chance of release from obesity’s ever-tightening grip, the nation will require broad-based efforts in every corner of society: homes, schools, community organizations, all levels of government, urban design, transportation, agriculture, the food industry, the media, medical practice, and, without question, biomedical research.
Read the full article here.