Obesity Prevention at the State and Local Levels: Lessons Learned and New Opportunities

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1 Public Health Practice Grand Rounds Obesity Prevention at the State and Local Levels: Lessons Learned and New Opportunities Lainie Rutkow, JD, PhD, MPH Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health August 21, , Johns Hopkins University. All rights reserved.

2 Background Obesity in the U.S. Over 2/3 of adult Americans are obese or overweight About 1/3 of adult Americans are obese Among Americans age 6-19, 18% are obese Increased burden of chronic disease Heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers Increased economic burden Annual health care costs ~$147 billion 2

3 Source: CDC, Adult Obesity Facts, 3

4 Energy consumption Energy expenditure 4

5 Menu Labeling Is there an information gap? Consumers inaccurately estimate calories Particularly true for restaurant foods Consumers have indicated that they are interested in having access to information about foods consumed while away from home Could point-of-purchase nutrition information change purchasing and consumption behaviors in restaurants? 5

6 Menu Labeling 6

7 Menu Labeling: Local Innovation Local governments take the lead 2006: NYC Department of Health adopts menu labeling regulation 2007: New York State Restaurant Association sues First Amendment and preemption claims Similar lawsuits were filed in California 2008: New York City begins requiring restaurants with 15 or more locations to engage in menu labeling 7

8 Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest, 8

9 Menu Labeling: Federal Uptake Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) Passed in 2010 Requires restaurants with 20 or more locations to provide calorie information for standard menu items Calorie information must appear on menus and menu boards Must include statement about suggested daily caloric intake Additional nutritional information must be provided upon request Other restaurants can volunteer to be subject to the ACA requirements 9

10 Menu Labeling: Federal Uptake Predicted outcomes of federal menu labeling: Increased awareness of the calorie content of restaurant foods Increased interest among consumers in lower calorie options This may lead restaurants to: Reformulate existing items to reduce their calorie content or portion size Provide additional lower-calorie items 10

11 11

12 Menu Labeling: Federal Uptake U.S. Food and Drug Administration will address: What is a restaurant? Does menu labeling apply to alcoholic beverages? What is the precise language of the statement about suggested daily caloric intake? When will the FDA regulations become effective? How should calorie information be displayed (e.g., type size)? 12

13 Menu Labeling: Evaluations Findings have been mixed Is calorie information difficult to understand? Possible alternatives to consider: Percentage of total daily recommended intake List menu items from lowest calorie to highest calorie List healthier choices on the front of the menu Physical activity equivalent Hamburger $ calories or 79 minutes of running French fries...$ calories or 62 minutes of running 13

14 Menu Labeling: Emerging Opportunities ACA preempts state and local menu labeling laws for: Restaurants with 20 or more locations Restaurants that volunteer to be covered by the ACA 14

15 Menu Labeling: Emerging Opportunities What can state and local governments do? 15

16 Menu Labeling: Emerging Opportunities What can state and local governments do? Impose menu labeling requirements identical to those in the ACA 16

17 Menu Labeling: Emerging Opportunities What can state and local governments do? Impose menu labeling requirements identical to those in the ACA Enact menu labeling laws for restaurants not covered by the ACA 17

18 References Burton, S. and E.H. Creyer. What consumers don't know can hurt them: consumer evaluations and disease risk perceptions of restaurant menu items.journal of Consumer Affairs, 2004;38: Finkelstein, E.A., et al., Annual medical spending attributable to obesity: payer-and service-specific estimates. Health Aff (Millwood), 2009;28(5):w Fitch, R. C., L. J. Harnack, D. R. Neumark-Sztainer, M. T. Story, S. A. French, J. M. Oakes, and S. A. Rydell. Providing calorie information on fast-food restaurant menu boards: consumer views. American Journal of Health Promotion, 2009;24(2): Kolodinsky, J., T. W. Reynolds, M. Cannella, D. Timmons, and D. Bromberg. U.S. consumer demand for restaurant calorie information: targeting demographic and behavioral segments in labeling initiatives. American Journal of Health Promotion, 2009;24(1): Wang, Y.C., et al., Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK. Lancet, 2011;378(9793): Bleich, S.N., et al., Reduction in purchases of sugar-sweetened beverages among lowincome Black adolescents after exposure to caloric information. Am J Public Health, 2012;102(2): CDC, Health, United States, 2012 (2012). 18

May 16, First Lady Michelle Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC Dear President and Mrs.

May 16, First Lady Michelle Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC Dear President and Mrs. May 16, 2012 President Barack H. Obama First Lady Michelle Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President and Mrs. Obama: We, the undersigned organizations, appreciate