Agricultural Subsidies and the American Obesity Epidemic

Abstract Government-issued agricultural subsidies are worsening obesity trends in America. Current agricultural policy remains largely uninformed by public health discourse. Although findings suggest that eliminating all subsidies would have a mild impact on the prevalence of obesity, a revision of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of preventive medicine 2013-09, Vol.45 (3), p.327-333
Main Authors: Franck, Caroline, MSc, Grandi, Sonia M., MSc, Eisenberg, Mark J., MD, MPH
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agriculture - economics
Biological and medical sciences
Financing, Government
Health Policy
Health Promotion - legislation & jurisprudence
Health Promotion - organization & administration
Humans
Internal Medicine
Medical sciences
Metabolic diseases
Miscellaneous
Obesity
Obesity - epidemiology
Policy making
Prevalence
Prevention and actions
Public Health
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Public Policy
Revisions
Subsidies
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Abstract Government-issued agricultural subsidies are worsening obesity trends in America. Current agricultural policy remains largely uninformed by public health discourse. Although findings suggest that eliminating all subsidies would have a mild impact on the prevalence of obesity, a revision of commodity programs could have a measurable public health impact on a population scale, over time. Policy reforms will be important determinants of the future of obesity in America, primarily through indemnity program revisions, and the allocation of increasing amounts of resources to sustainable agriculture. Public health intervention will be required at the policy level to promote healthy behavioral changes in consumers. The 2013 Farm Bill will be the key mechanism to induce such policy change in the near future.
ISSN:0749-3797
1873-2607
DOI:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.04.010