Tackling obesity requires efficient government policies

This is a commentary on http://www.ijhpr.org/content/1/1/17/ webciteObesity is one of the main drivers of the global epidemic of chronic diseases. As such, it has risen to the top of the public health policy agenda worldwide. In the last 30 years obesity rates have doubled or tripled in many countries; currently, half of the OECD population qualifies as overweight. Although the prevalence of obesity in Israel is below the OECD average (14% vs. almost 17% in the OECD, according to the latest data [1]), rates are increasing as rapidly as in other countries. Women in disadvantaged socio-economic conditions are more likely than others to be or become obese, and children born to obese parents are three to four times more likely to be obese themselves than those born to normal-weight parents. Obesity has major impacts on labor productivity, income, and healthcare expenditures. Estimates suggest that up to 6% of healthcare budgets are spent on diseases related to obesity in the European region [2].Economic analyses, like the one by Ginsberg and Rosenberg reported in this issue of the Journal [3], are badly needed to guide policy makers in tackling the rising tide of obesity. Especially in times of economic recession and severe public finance restrictions, governments ought to ensure greater priority is given to interventions that provide the largest health returns for the money spent. Ginsberg and Rosenberg conclude that a combination of prevention policies could increase population health by 32,671 QALYs (quality-adjusted life years) at a favorable cost-effectiveness ratio (US$12,800/QALY). These results are consistent with those of analyses jointly undertaken by OECD and WHO to assess the impacts of strategies to improve diets and increase physical activity [4]. The latter showed that the implementation and running costs of most prevention interventions are larger than the savings in healthcare expenditure generated by the same interventions. However, the extra costs are