Table 2.

Suggestions for priority topics in obesity policy research

Category
Capacity development
Measures of policies and related environmental factors
Improved measures of policy-relevant obesity outcomes (e.g., diet, physical activity, energy balance, BMI)
Information about motivations of policymakers, and how issues may be framed appropriately
Agriculture and food supply
Effects of subsidies for agricultural commodities on supply and prices, and resulting effects on population-level eating patterns
Economic research
Estimated and actual cost of policies (e.g., to schools, society) including revenue consequences and relationship of cost to feasibility and acceptability and any unanticipated consequences
Costs (nature and level) to individuals of making behavior change recommended for obesity prevention
Food pricing and its influence on food consumption, and how related policies can influence obesity
Elasticity of demand for various foods and the “tipping points” for various demographic groups (e.g., youth, ethnic groups, income groups) Effects of taxes or financial incentives to encourage healthy food choices, at both the macro level (e.g., agricultural subsidies) and micro level (e.g., in-store price effects)
Shift in focus of research from return on investment to costs associated with disease burden that may be addressed by policies
Built environment and transportation
Community design and its impact on energy-balance behaviors, including zoning policies
Youth settings and educational policies
Evaluation of the impact of school food and physical activity policies on revenues and the related costs and/or risks to schools, communities, and society
Evaluation of the effects of school food and physical activity environments and policies on academic achievement
Media/marketing
Effective methods of communicating diet and physical activity information to the general population to reduce obesity