TY - JOUR
T1 - Factors that encourage and discourage policy-making to prevent childhood obesity
T2 - Experience in the United States
AU - Rutkow, Lainie
AU - Jones-Smith, Jesse
AU - Walters, Hannah J.
AU - O'Hara, Marguerite
AU - Bleich, Sara N.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a Grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (ID 71767). We thank Laura Leviton at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and George Grob at the Center for Public Program Evaluation for helpful feedback on manuscript drafts. We also thank Renata Rothbarth for her thoughtful comments on a draft of the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Macmillan Publishers Ltd.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Policy-makers throughout the world seek to address childhood obesity prevention, yet little is known about factors that influence policy-makers' decisions on this topic. From September 2014 to April 2015, we conducted 43 semi-structured interviews about factors that encourage and discourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies. We interviewed policy-makers (n = 12) and two other groups engaged with childhood obesity prevention policies: representatives of non-governmental organizations (n = 24) and academics (n = 7). Factors that encourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies included: positive impact on government finances, an existing evidence base, partnerships with community-based collaborators, and consistency with policy-makers' priorities. Factors that discourage policy-makers' support included the following: perceptions about government's role, food and beverage industry opposition, and policy-makers' beliefs about personal responsibility. As public health practitioners, advocates, and others seek to advance childhood obesity prevention in the U.S. and elsewhere, the factors we identified offer insights into ways to frame proposed policies and strategies to influence policy-makers.
AB - Policy-makers throughout the world seek to address childhood obesity prevention, yet little is known about factors that influence policy-makers' decisions on this topic. From September 2014 to April 2015, we conducted 43 semi-structured interviews about factors that encourage and discourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies. We interviewed policy-makers (n = 12) and two other groups engaged with childhood obesity prevention policies: representatives of non-governmental organizations (n = 24) and academics (n = 7). Factors that encourage policy-makers' support for childhood obesity prevention policies included: positive impact on government finances, an existing evidence base, partnerships with community-based collaborators, and consistency with policy-makers' priorities. Factors that discourage policy-makers' support included the following: perceptions about government's role, food and beverage industry opposition, and policy-makers' beliefs about personal responsibility. As public health practitioners, advocates, and others seek to advance childhood obesity prevention in the U.S. and elsewhere, the factors we identified offer insights into ways to frame proposed policies and strategies to influence policy-makers.
KW - Childhood obesity
KW - Chronic disease
KW - Global health
KW - Policymaking
KW - Public health policy
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U2 - 10.1057/s41271-016-0035-y
DO - 10.1057/s41271-016-0035-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 28202927
AN - SCOPUS:85029758005
SN - 0197-5897
VL - 37
SP - 514
EP - 527
JO - Journal of public health policy
JF - Journal of public health policy
IS - 4
ER -