Lecture 11 - Preventing Metabolic Syndrome

Question 1

Who’s responsibility is it to eat a healthy diet?

Answer 1

Responsibility of the individual to provide nutritious food?
This is not the reality for individuals with lower socio-economic background
They do not have the resources (time and material) to be healthy

Question 2

What are the five traditional options open to public health?

Answer 2

1. Eduction and incentives / health promotion
2. Regulation
3. Consumer behaviour modification
4. Regulation of advertising
5. Economic policy

Question 3

Describe how health promotion can function, and the effectiveness of such measures

Answer 3

e.g. 3 year trial in Colac schools

Promotion of health through:
• Dietician in school
• Walking school bus
• Health food in canteens etc.

Results:
• Very marginal decreases in rates of obesity

Health promotion is necessary but unable to function completely on its own

Question 4

Describe how regulation of food could work

Answer 4

e.g. Regulation of Alcohol in early 20th century in colonial Victoria

• There was no regulation of alcohol manufacture in the late 19th century
• Alcoholic beverages had v. high levels of alcohol
• Acohol addiction and alcohol fuelled violence were growing problems
• Legislation act in 1905 (Victorian Pure Foods Act) regulated the composition of Alcohol
• Lead to mitigation of the problem
• We have also seen this with the regulations on Alcopops

In terms of fast food:
• Regulating trans-fats (New York is trialling it)
• Regulating HFCS55 or concentrated corn syrup
• Taxing these substances

However, this is politically difficult

Question 5

What about regulation of advertising?

Answer 5

Liberalist thought at the moment believes that it is the responsibility of the individual to decide what is consumed

i.e., the individual must not choose to consume unhealthy food such that it is a detriment to his/her health

However, this is ignoring the reality that for those in lower socio-economic groups, it is simply too difficult to make this decision

Question 6

What has been the trends in cost of various food in the US over the last 30 years?

Answer 6

Fresh fruit and veg:
• Increasingly expensive

Processed food:
• Decrease in price

Question 7

Describe the availability of healthy food to those of lower socio-economic background

Answer 7

Food deserts:
• Shops in working class areas that sell fresh food have closed
• People in these areas do not have access to healthy food
• Lack cars to travel to other areas

In addition, the fresh food is too expensive to be affordable

Question 8

What are Boyd Swinburn’s recommendations for Australia?

Answer 8

1. Leadership to set the agenda
2. Advocation of a multi-sector response
3. Implementation of policies to create healthier food and activity environment
4. Secure increased funding to reduce obesogenic environments
5. Banning of marketing of unhealthy foods to children
6. Subsidisation of public transport
7. Traffic light labelling on food product packaging
8. Restriction of unhealthy foods in schools
9. Taxation of certain unhealthy substances in food (HFCS55, trans-fats)

Question 9

What can be done for rural Australia?

Answer 9

• Remove free trade agreements for the importation of produce
• Subsidisation of food producing agriculture
• Investment in high tech solutions
• Support farmers / horticulturalists