BUSPH Kicks Off Interdisciplinary ‘Spotlight on Obesity’.
Boston University School of Public Health has embarked on a two-year school-wide initiative to examine the national obesity epidemic from a public health perspective.
“Spotlight on Obesity” will enable students from across BUSPH to explore many of the complex legislative, environmental, social, behavioral and economic issues that influence obesity. This extensive interdisciplinary approach to an emerging public health problem will incorporate academic, research and community engagement.
Every two years, BUSPH will “spotlight” a timely and critical public health issue through an interdisciplinary public health lens. The obesity initiative is the first in this planned series of school-wide efforts to focus on a single public health problem with a battery of coordinated seminars, lectures, films, and student-centered projects.
Spotlight campaign will feature several events throughout the next two years.“Spotlight on Obesity offers an innovative way of practicing what we preach,” said Harold Cox, associate dean of public health practice. “We want our students to truly understand the intersection of academics and public health practice, and this is a way to encourage them to take a critical look at a relevant health topic that has a far-reaching impact on society.”
The growing problem of obesity was selected as the inaugural Spotlight issue because more than one third of American adults are now obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Twelve states currently have obesity rates above 30 percent, but just five years ago only one state was above 30 percent. And despite decades-long efforts to educate the public about proper nutrition and the importance of vigorous exercise, more American adults and children continue to be classified as obese.
Obesity has emerged as a key issue championed by high-profile spokespeople such as First Lady Michelle Obama; whose “Let’s Move!” campaign is attempting to reduce childhood obesity; and Mayor Tom Menino, whose “Boston Moves for Health” effort challenges residents to lose a million pounds within a year. Also, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s “Mass in Motion” campaign reaches 33 percent of the state’s population.
A September 2012 report from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation projects that if left unchecked, obesity rates for adults could reach or exceed 44 percent in every state and exceed 60 percent in 13 states over the next 20 years.
Obesity could contribute to more than six million cases of type 2 diabetes, five million cases of coronary heart disease and stroke, and more than 400,000 cases of cancer in the next two decades, according to a 2011 Lancet study. Over the same span, obesity-related health care costs could increase by more than 10 percent in 43 states and by more than 20 percent in nine states.
In its first semester, Spotlight will integrate the topic of obesity into existing programs and introduce entirely new activities — including a film series moderated by faculty and practitioners — to spur critical analysis and discussion. The first screening, a segment of the HBO documentary The Weight of the Nation will be facilitated by Jacey Greece, clinical assistant professor of community health sciences and epidemiology.
Obesity experts will be featured lecturers at Research Day geared towards junior faculty and students (November 14) and New Faces in Public Health targeted at high school students (December 5). BUSPH student groups will lead service learning projects, the first-ever “Healthy Holiday Student Potluck” and a recipe competition.
In Spring Semester, Spotlight will launch a School-wide coordinated internal wellness program challenging students, faculty and staff to “walk the walk” and improve their own health. One academic highlight will be an intensive multidisciplinary program-planning exercise during Spring Break. Teams comprised of graduate students from BUSPH, Sargent College of Health Sciences and the School of Social Work will compete to design an obesity intervention to address the needs of a local community group.
Upcoming events include a research forum, career panel, and community engagement through the BU Global Day of Service. Spotlight activities and resources will be developed with input from a panel of obesity experts from across BUSPH and the University, Boston Medical Center, and city and state health departments.
Earlier in Fall Semester, BUSPH students participated in “Minimize or Supersize,” a discussion of the New York City ban on large sugary drinks. This exercise demonstrated the divisiveness of health topics that need to balance personal choice against the public good, and illustrated the complexity of public health interventions aimed at addressing obesity.