Abstract

The obesity epidemic shows no signs of abating. There is an urgent need to push back against the environmental forces that are producing gradual weight gain in the population. Using data from national surveys, we estimate that affecting energy balance by 100 kilocalories per day (by a combination of reductions in energy intake and increases in physical activity) could prevent weight gain in most of the population. This can be achieved by small changes in behavior, such as 15 minutes per day of walking or eating a few less bites at each meal. Having a specific behavioral target for the prevention of weight gain may be key to arresting the obesity epidemic.

Keywords

CalorieObesityWeight gainMealPopulationEnvironmental healthBalance (ability)Energy balancePhysical activityBody weightMedicineDemographyPhysical therapyBiologyEcologyEndocrinologyInternal medicineSociology

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Publication Info

Year
2003
Type
article
Volume
299
Issue
5608
Pages
853-855
Citations
2185
Access
Closed

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James O. Hill, Holly R. Wyatt, George Reed et al. (2003). Obesity and the Environment: Where Do We Go from Here?. Science , 299 (5608) , 853-855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1079857

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DOI
10.1126/science.1079857