Main description:

The obesity crisis in the United States disproportionately affects some demographic groups more than others. Contextual influences on obesity are complex and include an individual's weight-related behaviors and outcomes, the intermediate variables that influence these behaviors and outcomes, and broader, upstream historical, social, economic, physical, and policy contexts.

The National Academies convened a workshop on April 1, 2019 to explore the history of health equity issues in demographic groups that have above-average obesity risk and to consider principles and approaches to address these issues as part of obesity prevention and treatment efforts. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Table of Contents

Front Matter
1 Introduction
2 Setting the Stage: Key Definitions and Contexts
3 Disparities in the Prevalence of Obesity
4 Social Determinants of Health Inequities in Obesity Prevention
and Control
5 Lessons from the Field: Achieving Equity in Community and Public
Health Approaches for Preventing and Treating Obesity
6 Lessons from the Field: Achieving Equity in Obesity Treatment in
Health Care Settings
7 Reflections
References
Appendix A: Workshop Agenda
Appendix B: Acronyms and Abbreviations
Appendix C: Background Resources
Appendix D: Selected U.S. Laws and Opinions That Impact Civil
Rights
Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Planning
Committee Members