Surgeon General’s Priorities for Action
The previously discussed CARE framework presents a menu of important activities for
the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity. Building from this menu,
the Surgeon General identifies the following 15 activities as national priorities for
immediate action. Individuals, families, communities, schools, worksites, health care,
media, industry, organizations, and government must determine their role and take action
to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity.
Communication
The Nation must take an informed, sensitive approach to communicate with and
educate the American people about health issues related to overweight and obesity.
Everyone must work together to:
- Change the perception of overweight and obesity at all ages. The primary concern
should be one of health and not appearance.
- Educate all expectant parents about the many benefits of breastfeeding.
-
Breastfed infants may be less likely to become overweight as they grow
older.
- Mothers who breastfeed may return to pre-pregnancy weight more
quickly.
- Educate health care providers and health profession students in the prevention and
treatment of overweight and obesity across the lifespan.
- Provide culturally appropriate education in schools and communities about
healthy eating habits and regular physical activity, based on the Dietary
Guidelines for Americans, for people of all ages. Emphasize the consumer’s role
in making wise food and physical activity choices.
Action
The Nation must take action to assist Americans in balancing healthful eating with
regular physical activity. Individuals and groups across all settings must work in
concert to:
- Ensure daily, quality physical education in all school grades. Such education can
develop the knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors, and confidence needed to be
physically active for life.
- Reduce time spent watching television and in other similar sedentary behaviors.
- Build physical activity into regular routines and playtime for children and their
families. Ensure that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity
on most days of the week. Children should aim for at least 60 minutes.
- Create more opportunities for physical activity at worksites. Encourage all
employers to make facilities and opportunities available for physical activity for
all employees.
- Make community facilities available and accessible for physical activity for all
people, including the elderly.
- Promote healthier food choices, including at least five servings of fruits
and vegetables each day, and reasonable portion sizes at home, in schools,
at worksites, and in communities.
- Ensure that schools provide healthful foods and beverages on school campuses
and at school events by:
- Enforcing existing U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations that
prohibit serving foods of minimal nutritional value during mealtimes in
school food service areas, including in vending machines.
- Adopting policies specifying that all foods and beverages available at
school contribute toward eating patterns that are consistent with the
Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Providing more food options that are low in fat, calories, and added sugars
such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or nonfat dairy foods.
- Reducing access to foods high in fat, calories, and added sugars and to
excessive portion sizes.
- Create mechanisms for appropriate reimbursement for the prevention and
treatment of overweight and obesity.
Research and Evaluation
The Nation must invest in research that improves our understanding of the causes,
prevention, and treatment of overweight and obesity. A concerted effort should be
made to:
- Increase research on behavioral and environmental causes of overweight and
obesity.
- Increase research and evaluation on prevention and treatment interventions for
overweight and obesity, and develop and disseminate best practice guidelines.
- Increase research on disparities in the prevalence of overweight and obesity
among racial and ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, and age groups, and use this
research to identify effective and culturally appropriate interventions.
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