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Confidence of health professionals in public health approaches to obesity prevention

International Journal of Obesity volume 23, pages 1004–1006 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the views of professionals working in the obesity field on the potential usefulness and feasibility of implementing different types of public health prevention strategies.

METHOD: A questionnaire listing 20 public health strategies was mailed to pre-registrants of an international obesity prevention symposium. Respondents were asked to rate how useful and how feasible they felt each of the listed actions would be for the prevention of obesity in their home countries. The list included education-based strategies aimed at changing individual behaviour as well as more radical measures aimed at reducing population exposure to obesity-promoting factors in the environment.

RESULTS: A 32% response was obtained. Education-based strategies were seen to be both useful and feasible. Less confidence was expressed in strategies aimed at changing the environment.

CONCLUSION: People working in the obesity field tend to feel most comfortable with education-based prevention strategies. Implementation of environment-based strategies needed to encourage and support behaviour change may require the involvement of people from relevant sectors outside the obesity field.

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Author notes

  1. C Ritenbaugh: from the Public Health Approaches to the Prevention of Obesity (PHAPO) Working Group of the International Obesity TaskForce (IOTF)

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Public Health and Policy Division, International Obesity TaskForce, Rowett Research Institute, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen, AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK

    VJ Antipatis

  2. Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1919 W. Taylor, Room 650, M/C517, Chicago, IL 60612-7256, USA

    S Kumanyika

  3. Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, Suite 300, 1300 South Second Street, Minneapolis, MN 55454-1015, USA

    RW Jeffery

  4. Division d’Epidemiologie Clinique, Hopitaux Universitaires de Geneve, rue Micheli-du-Crest 25, CH-1211, Geneve, 14, Switzerland

    A Morabia

  5. Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, 3800 N. Kaiser Center Drive, Portland, OR 97227-1098, USA

    C Ritenbaugh

Authors
  1. VJ Antipatis
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  2. S Kumanyika
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  3. RW Jeffery
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  4. A Morabia
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  5. C Ritenbaugh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to VJ Antipatis.

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Antipatis, V., Kumanyika, S., Jeffery, R. et al. Confidence of health professionals in public health approaches to obesity prevention. Int J Obes 23, 1004–1006 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801051

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801051

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