The Social, Cultural and Familial Contexts Contributing to Childhood Obesity

Extensive research on the social and environmental factors influencing childhood obesity over the past few decades offers a rich, biomedical, and social etiology that has not translated into successful prevention or treatment at the population level. The isolated efforts of single academic disciplines researching obesity and the lack of a meta-model have hampered this process. In recognition of the sociocultural complexity of this disorder, the Institute of Medicine concluded the report Progress in Preventing Childhood Obesity with the statement that "a succinct assessment of the nation's progress in preventing childhood obesity is not feasible given the diverse and varied nature of America's communities and population." In the United Kingdom, Butland supported the concept of a "family of obesities" and recommended the use of systemic, multilevel, and tailored interventions for long-term, population-level success in prevention and treatment.