While people are waging their own battle against obesity at home, the government is also trying to help–from cutting trans fats out of fast food meals to building more bike paths to increase physical activity.
But how many of them actually work?
New findings from Drexel University sought to find that out, and unfortunately, the answers weren’t always positive.
“Rigorous science is needed to evaluate these natural or quasi-experiments,” says Amy Auchincloss, Ph.D., an associate professor from the Drexel University School of Public Health and researcher of the study. “Impact of policy and built environment changes on obesity-related outcomes: a systematic review of naturally occurring experiments.”
The Study
Published in the journal Obesity Experiments, researchers found that, although based on previous experiments, many policy changes made to curb obesity often had the opposite effect. For example, eliminating “food deserts” in poorer communities, which references communities which do not have supermarkets that offer fresh produce, did not have an impact on eating habits in these areas, the report reveals. This is contrary to beliefs pushed by Michelle Obama over 5 years ago, who claimed that fixing these “deserts” could help those battling obesity.
In addition, requiring more foods or fast food restaurants to list nutritional information didn’t have an impact either; oftentimes, it seems people ignored it, suggesting the obesity epidemic isn’t an issue of a lack of availability or awareness of healthy foods.
On the contrary, policy changes that helped people eat better included banning trans fats, limiting the availability of sugary foods and beverages, and even curtailing the amount of higher-fat foods available.
“Nutrition-related studies found greater effects because of bans/restrictions on unhealthy foods, mandates offering healthier foods, and altering purchase/payment rules on foods purchased using low-income food vouchers compared with other interventions (menu labeling, new supermarkets),” write researchers. “Of the 37 studies included, 18 studies evaluated impacts on nutrition/diet, 17 on physical activity and 3 on body mass index.”
There was better luck among policymakers when it came to physical activity however. Adding more ways to stay physically active naturally in the environment, such as adding more bike lanes or outdoor trails, helped people meet their physical activity requirements more easily. However, just educating people on how much physical activity is required to live a healthy lifestyle didn’t have much of an impact.
“Physical activity-related studies generally found stronger impacts when the intervention involved improvements to active transportation infrastructure, longer follow-up time or measured process outcomes (e.g. cycling rather than total physical activity), compared with other studies,” write researchers.
But these changes aren’t just great for modifying behaviors of a specific population–you too can benefit. For instance, if you’re trying to lose weight, having a wide availability of healthy foods won’t help, but banning high-fat or sugary foods from your kitchen could.
Overall, it’s all about finding effective ways to kick obesity in the curb–and this study finally shows which methods work best both nationally and for individuals.
“[We] recommend more natural experiments to explore whether the timing of a change or repeated exposure to the changed condition enhances or reduces impacts on obesity-related outcomes,” write researchers.
Readers: What helps you lose weight the most?
Sources:
From Soda to Bike Lanes: Which “Natural Experiments” Really Reduce Obesity? – ScienceDaily.com
Impact of Policy and Built Environment Changes on Obesity-Related Outcomes (Study) – Wiley.com
Why it Takes More Than a Grocery Store to Eliminate a “Food Desert” – PBS.org
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