Ames, Iowa – A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives in Mississippi that would prohibit restaurants from serving food to anyone who is obese. Is this simply an attempt to control what has been called the “obesogenic environment” or is it an infringement on civil rights?

Public policy and programming efforts focused on weight control have shifted from education and intervention of individuals to environmental change to support positive health behaviors, said Ruth Litchfield, Iowa State University Extension nutrition specialist. This comes from research suggesting that although an individual may have the knowledge and intention to make positive health behavior choices, the environment needs to facilitate these choices.

“The proposed legislation is on the right track to change the environment, but is discriminatory and not the way to address the obesity epidemic,” Litchfield said. “There are a number of social and political conditions driving the ‘obesogenic environment’ that can be addressed without being discriminatory.”

For example, proposed legislation in the Iowa statehouse would create nutrition standards for food sold in schools outside of the school meals programs.  This would influence the food available to all students, not just a segment of the students.

“Environmental change is intended to influence the environment for everyone, not just select groups,” according to Litchfield. “Availability and access to safe and healthy food choices is good for everyone.”

Environmental change is occurring across Iowa, Litchfield noted, through the Lighten Up Iowa and Go the Distance programs. The team concept of these programs creates a supportive environment for participants, in which they encourage and support each other’s efforts to be more physically active and eat more healthfully. Worksite Lighten Up Iowa teams are walking during their breaks and bringing fruits, vegetables and crackers rather than cookies and brownies into the break room.

These types of environmental change will help individuals make and maintain positive behavior choices, Litchfield said. More than 30,000 adults and 10,000 youth are participating on Lighten Up Iowa and Go the Distance teams.

Get more information about Lighten Up Iowa and Go the Distance (http://www.lightenupiowa.org).

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