Application of Law to the Childhood Obesity Epidemic

24 Pages Posted: 3 Apr 2007

See all articles by Jess Alderman

Jess Alderman

State University of New York (SUNY) - Buffalo

Jason A. Smith

CSU East Bay, Department of Public Health

Ellen J. Fried

New York University (NYU) - Department of Nutrition Food Studies and Public Health

Richard A. Daynard

Northeastern University - School of Law

Abstract

Childhood obesity is in important respects a result of legal policies that influence both dietary intake and physical activity. The law must shift focus away from individual risk factors alone and seek instead to promote situational and environmental influences that create an atmosphere conducive to health. To attain this goal, advocates should embrace a population-wide model of public health, and policymakers must critically examine the fashionable rhetoric of consumer choice.

Keywords: law, obesity, childhood, public health, marketing, food, diet, first amendment

Suggested Citation

Alderman, Jess and Smith, Jason A. and Fried, Ellen J. and Daynard, Richard A., Application of Law to the Childhood Obesity Epidemic. Northeastern University Public Law & Legal Theory Research Paper No. 17-2007, Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, Spring 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=972136

Jess Alderman

State University of New York (SUNY) - Buffalo

Jason A. Smith

CSU East Bay, Department of Public Health ( email )

25800 Carlos Bee Boulevard
Hayward, CA California 94542
United States

Ellen J. Fried

New York University (NYU) - Department of Nutrition Food Studies and Public Health ( email )

New York, NY 10011
United States
212-998-5580 (Phone)

Richard A. Daynard (Contact Author)

Northeastern University - School of Law ( email )

416 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
United States

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