In More Developed Countries, Obesity Is Linked To Social Disadvantage, Whereas In Low Income Countries, The Inverse Is True

Published: December 15, 2007, 3:00 am

An international team of scientists is urging health professionals to adopt a more social approach to tackling the global obesity epidemic.Writing in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal (BMJ), Sharon Friel, Principal Research Fellow with the Commission on Social Determinants of Health at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, UK, and colleagues, suggest a different policy agenda is needed.Curiously, in more developed countries, obesity is linked to social disadvantage, whereas in low income countries, the inverse is true, wrote Friel and colleagues. They want the health profession to start taking into account the unequal distribution among different countries of the social opportunities for maintaining a healthy weight, rather than just focus on healthy eating and exercise.Eating habits have changed dramatically since the middle of the 20th century, leading to a global shift in the human diet toward highly refined foods and meat and

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