Trends and Review of State Obesity Legislation, 2001-2008

Background: Obesity rates in the United States have been increasing for over 30 years. Currently, 33.8% of adults are obese. Objective: This study includes the review of 458 bills that were introduced over the past eight years with the expressed purpose of preventing or treating obesity. Design: Bills were obtained from state legislature websites and CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity legislative database. Main Outcome Measures: Bills are illustrated according to their setting or intent (School, Healthcare, Community, and Taskforce), Status, Percent success by category and type, and findings from passed bills. Results: The largest number of bills introduced was in the School category with 228, followed by Healthcare (85), Taskforce (77), and Community (68). Percentages of bills passed were: Taskforce (31%), Health Care (15%), Schools (14%), and Community (10%). Conclusion: Overall, 17% of obesity bills passed from 2001-2008. Legislation can be an important first step to change society and institutionalized norms to encourage and support people to develop healthier behaviors. Practitioners and policy-makers could find useful, the results of follow-up summaries and recommendation reports of such legislation.