Behavior & Food :: Obesity & Change

 One question that comes up when talking about food is how do we effectively deal with the obesity epidemic. More and more people are considering the impact of anthropology and psychology  on individual and collective eating patterns. The impact is clear and thought provoking indeed. Obesity rates are incredibly high and people are questioning how to effectively tackle these scary statistics. Methodology is controversial  but it seems that we can not rely to heavily on one source of treatment. There are many viable options when it comes to treatment, but it must be dealt with in a serious    nature because of the danger that many people are facing with health related issues.

The Atlantic recently wrote an article on a doctor's way to dea with the obesity on the Cook Islands.
Dr. Thein shames and jokes with his patients, harshly displaying to them the absurdity of their physical condition and the immediate danger. Mother's had been feeding their babies warm sugar water rather than breast feeding or warming pasteurized milk. The doctor sees these blatantly detrimental behaviors as opportunities to shame and ridicule his patients for their poor habits.

The article asks us to consider the different approaches to dealign with obesity, so I ask you: what solutions do you have?


http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/02/in-some-cultures-a-role-for-shame-in-addressing-obesity/272999/http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/02/in-some-cultures-a-role-for-shame-in-addressing-obesity/272999/