Preclinical and clinical obesity: implications for public health policy
Christina Pollard1 2
1. School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
2. Public Health Advocacy Institute, Curtin University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Public health is an interdisciplinary field concerned with understanding psychosocial, behavioural and biomedical science, knowledge and techniques relevant to health and illness, and applying this knowledge and techniques for health of the population. Its mission is to prevent (ill health), protect and promote health. This evidence-informed practice first and foremost aims to do no harm. Policy makers require intelligence to inform their practice, from defining the problem and its determinants, to appraising options, and implementing and evaluating portfolios of interventions. Monitoring and surveillance of risk factors at a population level e.g., Body Mass Index have provided the evidence to support a focus on obesity prevention strategies. Calls for a nuanced and de-stigmatising definition of obesity was based on many factors, particularly to ensure the right people have access to treatment, primary care, prevention etc. Additional measures are required to define clinical obesity with the aim of facilitating treatment pathways.
The first step in policy cycle requires a clear definition of the problem and its determinants, understanding its extent and impact on health of the population (e.g., pandemic, epidemic, local issue). How an issue is framed determines the response. This information helps to decide what the public health response (with do nothing always an option based on the precautionary principle or when intervention is not warranted.) Taking action from a public health perspective must be evidence-informed, feasible, equitable, timely and requires political amenability. This presentation explores the perspectives of a career public servant turned academic, on the potential impact of refining the definition to distinguish between clinical and non-clinical obesity on public health interventions.