Book Notes - Economics and Social Sciences

摘要

Zoltan J. Acs & Alan Lyles (Eds.): Obesity, business and public policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84542-500-5. 288 pp., GBP 69.95. This reader aims to provide an alternative framework through which to explore the controversial obesity debate that has spilled over from the medical community to politics. The 13 original contributions compiled in this book explore the rising trend of obesity in the US in terms of its significant economic and social consequences. The web of underlying causes of the "infrastructure of obesity" is described as lying with public policy decisions, economics factors, and profit opportunities as well as the more obvious nutrition and health choices of individuals. Approaches of prevention and treatment of this pandemic are tackled from the perspectives of businesses, governments, society, and the individual. The taxation, marketing, cultural, ethical, and institutional dimensions of obesity are also addressed.