Los Angeles Times Examines Cultural Aspects Of Obesity Debate

The Los Angeles Timeslast week published a series of opinion pieces on obesity, includingthe biggest obesity myths, best public policies, the government'sstance and parameters of the problem. On the final day of the five-dayseries, the Times featured a discussion between Kelly Brownell -- a psychology and epidemiology professor at Yale University where he also is director of the university's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity -- and Paul Campos -- a law professor at the University of Coloradoand syndicated columnist for Scripps Howard -- on the cultural andclass components of the debate. Summaries of the pieces appear below.

Brownell

"It is a mistake to think that obesity is a problem only in certainsocial or racial groups," Brownell writes, adding, "It is rampant inall races, in both genders and across all ages. It would be mistake, aswell, to believe that race and social class do not matter." Accordingto Brownell, 40% of blacks, 34% of Hispanics and 29% of whites areobese. Seventy-eight percent of black women are either overweight orobese, according to Brownell.

Brownell writes, "The realitystares us in the face -- poverty discourages physical activity andencourages excess calorie consumption. Anything but sky-high rates ofobesity, diabetes and other diseases would be surprising." He adds,"Blaming the victims for making bad choices is common, but more helpfulwould be an honest assessment of the conditions that create theproblems and solutions based on the causes."

Brownell suggeststhat to address the problem, zoning laws and tax incentive programsshould encourage more supermarkets in poor neighborhoods; food-stampprograms should give bonuses to those who purchase fruits andvegetables; healthier food options should be available in schools; andadvertising for calorie-dense, low-nutrition foods should be reduced indisproportionately minority populations (Brownell, Los Angeles Times, 9/ 21).

Campos

"Americans are obsessed with fat because fatness has become a symbolfor poverty, downward mobility, nonwhiteness and socially marginalstatus in general. Fear and hatred of fat has very little to do withthe health risks associated with being 'overweight' and 'obese' ... andeverything to do with the symbolic meanings that thin and fat bodieshave in this culture," Campos writes.

"The fundamentalstrategy of the war on fat is to universalize the attitudes of middle-and upper-class white American women toward weight, food, dieting andexercise," Campos writes, adding, "Such women are taught from a veryearly age to hate their bodies, to be terrified of fat and to turneating into an endless moralistic struggle."

According to Campos, many weight-loss companies, such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig,are beginning to target blacks and Hispanics. In addition, Brownellmaintains that nearly four out of five black women are overweight orobese, though black women have "much more positive views of their ownbodies" than their white counterparts. He asks, "Is it a coincidencethat studies also record no increased mortality risk associated witheven very high levels of body mass among black women?"

"Perhapsall we 'diet- and shape-conscious folk' ought to put down the whiteman's (or more precisely, the white woman's) burden and stop inflictingour neuroses on everyone else. ... [W]e out to consider the possibilitythat ... our 'methods have become unsound'" (Campos, Los Angeles Times, 9/21).

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