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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing
Session: Legal Strategies to Fight Childhood Obesity
3116.0: Monday, November 06, 2006: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Oral
Legal Strategies to Fight Childhood Obesity
The battle against obesity is being fought on many fronts. Far too overlooked is how the law and policy can be applied to further positive change. This innovative panel will educate nutritionists and other health professionals about the importance of legal strategies: This panel will cover the following topics: 1) Macro-environmental application of law: The law is more effective by ensuring that good health is possible for everyone rather than protecting the health of one individual. The need for such ecological modeling is particularly relevant to food marketing to children; only population-wide considerations can adequately address this issue; 2)Federal Food and agricultural policy: federal farming policy is closely connected to the foods Americans have to eat. Yet not enough attention is paid to this important policy tool. The upcoming federal Farm Bill represents a unique opportunity to impact childhood obesity and public health 2) State legislation: there is currently a tremendous amount of activity in state legislatures across the country to address the obesity epidemic. Statewide policy initiatives include getting junk food out of schools, requiring menu labeling in chain restaurants, and in New York,requiring a "fat tax;" 3) Litigation: When other policy options are exhausted, litigation remains a last resort as an important policy tool to improve public health. The recently-filed lawsuit to get companies to stop marketing junk food to children will serve as a case-study in effecting positive change.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Articulate at least one policy strategy to prevent childhoold obesity. 2. Understand the public health-related debates surrounding the 2007 Farm Bill
Moderator(s):Susan L. Roberts, JD, MS, RD
10:30 AMWelcoming Remarks
10:33 AMMacro-environmental application of law to the childhood obesity epidemic  [ Recorded presentation ]
Jess Alderman, MD, JD, Jason A. Smith, MTS, JD, Ellen J. Fried, JD, MA, Richard A. Daynard, JD, PhD
10:53 AMFood and agriculture policy: A legal tool in the childhood obesity epidemic  [ Recorded presentation ]
Susan L. Roberts, JD, MS, RD
11:13 AMState legislation as a tool in the obesity epidemic: An overview  [ Recorded presentation ]
Michele Simon, JD, MPH
11:33 AMLitigation as a Tool to Limit Food Marketing to Children  [ Recorded presentation ]
Stephen Gardner
11:53 AMDiscussion
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.
Organized by:Food and Nutrition
Endorsed by:Community Health Planning and Policy Development; School Health Education and Services; Socialist Caucus
CE Credits:CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA