Public Policy Should be Employed to Combat Rise in Obesity

Interview with Kelly Brownell, founding director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, conducted by Melinda Tuhus

A recent report shows that the cost of treating obesity has doubled in the past 10 years, and that obese people spent 42 percent more on medical costs in 2006 than people of normal weight. As the debate on health care reform heats up, this is one area where policymakers are looking to reduce costs through prevention programs. But the problem is complex, involving lifestyle, economics, psychology and the outsize impact of the food industry and its marketing arm.

Giant food corporations market their products to children and teenagers, spending over $1.6 billion annually in advertising. The overwhelming majority of these ads, now targeting schools, the Internet, and mobile phones, are for unhealthy snack foods, high in calories, sugar, fat, and/or sodium.

Real Audio:
btlonline.org/2009/ram/brownell082109.ram

MP3:
btlonline.org/2009/mp3/brownell082109.mp3

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below:

RealAudio:
btlonline.org/2009/ram/btl080709.ram

DOWNLOAD the MP3 by visiting:
btlonline.org/download

VIEW the Between the Lines website by clicking on the link below:
www.btlonline.org

***********************************

"Between The Lines" is a half-hour syndicated radio news magazine that each week features a summary of under-reported news stories and interviews with activists and journalists who offer progressive perspectives on international, national and regional political, economic and social issues. Because "Between The Lines" is independent of all publications, media networks or political parties, we are able to bring a diversity of voices to the airwaves generally ignored or marginalized by the major media. For more information on this week's topics and to check out our text archive listing topics and guests presented in previous programs visit: www.btlonline.org
*
"Between the Lines," WPKN 89.5 FM's weekly radio news magazine can be heard Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. ET; Wednesdays at 8 a.m. ET and Saturdays at 2 p.m. ET (Wednesday's show airs at 7:30 a.m. ET during fundraising months of April and October).
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Weekly Summary" which features a RealAudio link to the week's program for Between The Lines, send an email to btlsummary-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
For an email subscription of "Between The Lines Q&A" which features a RealAudio link and weekly transcript to one of the interviews featured on Between The Lines, send an email to btlqa-subscribe-AT-lists.riseup.net
*
betweenthelines-AT-snet.net
*
www.squeakywheel.net/
*
Distributed by Squeaky Wheel Productions
©2009 Between The Lines. All Rights Reserved.