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Introduction
A workshop titled A Health Equity Approach to Obesity Efforts, held April 1, 2019, in Washington, DC, was convened by the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, Health and Medicine Division, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.1 The workshop explored the history of health equity issues in demographic groups that have above-average risk for obesity, and considered principles and approaches for addressing these issues as part of obesity prevention and treatment efforts. Invited presenters focused on three areas: current policies and practices that either perpetuate health inequities or advance health equity; mechanisms to support community-driven solutions that can influence the social determinants of health; and approaches for fostering multisector collaboration to address disparities by exploring issues related to the creation, implementation, and evaluation of equity-oriented programs, policies, and systems changes. Participants also discussed research needed to inform and mobilize equity-centered obesity prevention and treatment actions in the field. The workshop’s full Statement of Task is in Box 1-1.2
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1 The planning committee’s role was limited to planning the workshop, and this Proceedings of a Workshop was prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop. Statements, recommendations, and opinions expressed are those of individual presenters and participants, and are not necessarily endorsed or verified by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and they should not be construed as reflecting any group consensus.
2 The workshop agenda, presentations, and other materials are available at http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/Activities/Nutrition/ObesitySolutions/2019-APR-1.aspx (accessed May 3, 2019).
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Bill Purcell of Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter, PLLC, and chair of the Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, welcomed participants and remarked that the workshop had garnered a record high number of sign-ups for webcast attendance compared with the roundtable’s previous workshops. He provided a brief overview of the roundtable, explaining that it engages nearly 50 leaders from multiple sectors (e.g., health care, health insurance, academia, business, education, child care, government, media, philanthropy, nonprofit) to help solve the nation’s obesity crisis by preventing and treating obesity and its consequences across the lifespan. Through meetings, public workshops, background papers, and ad hoc convening activities, he continued, the roundtable fosters an ongoing dialogue about critical and emerging issues in obesity prevention and treatment. Purcell explained further that the roundtable also provides a trusted venue for inspiring, developing, and examining multisector collaborations, as well as sustainable policy, environmental, and behavioral initiatives, designed to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary behavior, and improve the healthfulness of foods and beverages, with the goal of reducing the prevalence and adverse consequences of obesity and its related health disparities.
Purcell underscored the workshop’s exclusive focus on equity-centered obesity prevention and treatment actions, noting that this topic has been a cross-cutting theme in the roundtable’s activities. He concluded by
expressing his hope that “this focus on equity will be a new beginning for our work, our shared work, to end this epidemic.”
ORGANIZATION OF THIS PROCEEDINGS
This proceedings follows the order of the workshop agenda (see Appendix A), chronicling its sessions in individual chapters. Chapter 2 presents an overview of key definitions and contextual influences on obesity. Chapter 3 reviews disparities in the prevalence of obesity among various demographic groups in the United States. Chapter 4 examines concepts and principles of health equities and inequities through the contextual perspectives of history, culture, law, immigration status, and socioeconomic status. Chapter 5 describes examples of community and public health approaches to achieving equity in obesity prevention and treatment. Chapter 6 presents perspectives on achieving equity in obesity treatment in health care settings. Finally, Chapter 7 chronicles stakeholder reflections on the workshop. Appendix B is a list of acronyms and abbreviations used in this proceedings, Appendix C is a list of background resources that correspond to each session of the workshop, and Appendix D presents biographical sketches of the workshop speakers and planning committee members.
