Obesity Policy Spotlight: The Political Feasibility of Solving Childhood Obesity

In 2006, the state of Massachusetts suffered a political debacle over the merits of Marshmallow Fluff, a beloved, locally made marshmallow paste. In an effort to combat childhood obesity, state Senator Jarrett Barrios proposed that Fluff be restricted in public schools. His fellow state legislator, Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein, counter-proposed that the Fluffernutter (the fluff and peanut butter sandwich she and other locals grew up with) be named the official state sandwich. In the end, nostalgia trumped nutrition, revealing the cultural significance of this marshmallow treat. To generations of Massachusetts natives, Fluff symbolizes the innocence and irreverence of childhood. Furthermore, Fluff is an all-American icon: invented by an immigrant, it is the sole product of a family-owned company founded by returning WWI veterans. Since the political fallout, Fluff's populist heritage has been celebrated in an annual festival held in Somerville, Mass., birthplace of Fluff.

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The Political Feasibility of Income by Right

The Revolt Against the Masses ◽

10.4324/9781351302920-5 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 71-102

Author(s):

Bill Cavala

Keyword(s):

The Political ◽

Political Feasibility

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The Political Feasibility of Raising Consumers’ Water Costs

Saving Water in a Desert City ◽

10.4324/9781315665726-12 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 83-94

Keyword(s):

The Political ◽

Political Feasibility

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Is it feasible?1

Why we need a Citizen's Basic Income ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447343158.003.0007 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 93-112

Author(s):

Malcolm Torry

Keyword(s):

Policy Process ◽

Political Process ◽

The Political ◽

Basic Income ◽

Political Feasibility ◽

Political Ideologies ◽

Financial Feasibility ◽

Financial Losses

This chapter examines whether a Citizen's Basic Income is feasible — that is, capable of being legislated and implemented. To answer this question, the chapter considers multiple feasibilities: financial feasibility (whether it would be possible to finance a Citizen's Basic Income, and whether implementation would impose substantial financial losses on any households or individuals); psychological feasibility (whether the idea is readily understood, and understood to be beneficial); administrative feasibility (whether it would be possible to administer a Citizen's Basic Income and to manage the transition); behavioural feasibility (whether a Citizen's Basic Income would work for households and individuals once it was implemented); political feasibility (whether the idea would cohere with existing political ideologies); and policy process feasibility (whether the political process would be able to process the idea through to implementation). After explaining each of these feasibilities in detail, the chapter asks whether they are additive, conjunctive, or disjunctive.

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Childhood obesity: policy issues in 2003

Journal of Pediatric Nursing ◽

10.1016/s0882-5963(03)00164-7 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 18 (6) ◽

pp. 416-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bryn Tschannen-Moran ◽

Eric Lewis ◽

Sarah P Farrell

Keyword(s):

Childhood Obesity ◽

Policy Issues ◽

Obesity Policy

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Generating evidence on interventions to reduce inequalities in health: the Dutch case

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/14034948020300030401 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 30 (59_suppl) ◽

pp. 20-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Karien Stronks

Keyword(s):

Experimental Studies ◽

Research Programme ◽

Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽

The Political ◽

Inequalities In Health ◽

Socioeconomic Groups ◽

Political Feasibility ◽

Research Programmes ◽

Quasi Experimental ◽

Policy Measures

The aim of this paper is to refl ect on the type of evidence that is required to design policy measures and interventions to reduce inequalities in health. This issue will be discussed in the context of the Dutch national research programmes on inequalities in health. The fi rst type of evidence relates to the background of socioeconomic inequalities in health. From a very simple conceptual scheme, four policy options can be derived: (1) reducing inequalities in socioeconomic goods; (2) changing the distribution of specifi c risk factors across socioeconomic groups; (3) diminishing the effect of health on socioeconomic status; (4) offering extra healthcare for people in lower socioeconomic groups. Whereas the evidence on the background of socioeconomic inequalities in health has increased enormously, there is clearly a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to tackle inequalities in health, which is the second type of evidence that is required. The Dutch fi ve-year programme, including 12 (quasi) experimental studies on specifi c interventions in different policy fi elds, showed that this second type of evidence is more difficult to collect, partly because of the methodological complexity of these studies. The third type of evidence relates to the political feasibility of policy measures. It is not enough to know that a specifi c determinant of socioeconomic inequalities in health might be effectively addressed by a specifi c intervention. The political will to implement that intervention is obviously a necessary prerequisite for actually reducing inequalities in health. Within the Dutch research programme, the political feasibility of policy measures was explored during a number of conferences, for several policy fi elds. The lack of evidence on, in particular, the effectiveness of interventions to reduce inequalities in health is clearly an obstacle to tackling inequalities in health. On the other hand, it should be ensured that the lack of evidence is not used as an excuse for not taking policy measures at all.

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