Author, as appears in the article.: Gracia-Arnaiz M

Department: Antropologia, Filosofia i Treball Social

URV's Author/s: Gracia Arnaiz, Maria Isabel

Keywords: Spain Sociocultural causality Public policy Obesity Economic crisis

Abstract: This article reports on a qualitative analysis of the measures proposed at the international level, but with a special focus on those adopted in Spain during the last decade. Analyzing biomedical definition of obesity as an epidemic and costly disease, this text aims is to unpack the conceptual structure of the obesity prevention model, and to reflect on the limitations of a top-down pattern of health education and communication in health that, focusing on individual aspects of lifestyles, has involved very little citizen participation in general, and less still by those diagnosed as overweight. In the process of translating international guidelines into national action plans, the effects of historical changes and socioeconomic interests have been largely ignored, and the symbolic and material needs of the stakeholders have gone unrecognized. The discussion considers the minor role attributed in public health policy to the food and eating as social practice, to the specific structural factors that have taken on greater importance during the economic crisis ¿ job insecurity, depressed wages, austerity measures ¿ and to the social determinants of the differential distribution of obesity ¿ social class, gender, ethnicity, age ¿ and suggests that this inattention to their impact may underlie the failure of these strategies to halt the apparently growing obesity rate.

Thematic Areas: Sociology and political science Sociologia i política Planning & development Nutrition & dietetics Management, monitoring, policy and law Interdisciplinary research in the social sciences Interdisciplinar Geografía Food science & technology Food science Economics and econometrics Economics Economia Dret Development Ciencias sociales Antropologia / arqueologia Agricultural economics & policy

ISSN: 03069192

Author's mail: mabel.gracia@urv.cat

Author identifier: 0000-0002-6429-6395

Record's date: 2023-07-31

Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

Link to the original source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306919217300258

Licence document URL: http://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/

Papper original source: Food Policy. 68 65-76

APA: Gracia-Arnaiz M (2017). Taking measures in times of crisis: The political economy of obesity prevention in Spain. Food Policy, 68(), 65-76. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.01.001

Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.01.001

Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Journal publication year: 2017

Publication Type: Journal Publications