National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

EVALUATING OBESITY
PREVENTION EFFORTS

A Plan for Measuring Progress

Committee on Evaluating Progress of Obesity Prevention Efforts

Food and Nutrition Board

Lawrence W. Green, Leslie Sim, Heather Breiner, Editors

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.

www.nap.edu

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS     500 Fifth Street, NW     Washington, DC 20001

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by a grant between the National Academy of Sciences and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-28527-8

International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-28527-5

Additional copies of this report are available for sale from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.

For more information about the Institute of Medicine, visit the IOM home page at: www.iom.edu.

Copyright 2013 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The serpent has been a symbol of long life, healing, and knowledge among almost all cultures and religions since the beginning of recorded history. The serpent adopted as a logotype by the Institute of Medicine is a relief carving from ancient Greece, now held by the Staatliche Museen in Berlin.

Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2013. Evaluating obesity prevention efforts: A plan for measuring progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do.
”      

                                                —Goethe

image

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
              OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advising the Nation. Improving Health.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

COMMITTEE ON EVALUATING PROGRESS OF OBESITY PREVENTION EFFORTS

LAWRENCE W. GREEN (Chair), Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

CHRISTINA BETHELL, Professor, Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science Center, Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, Portland

RONETTE R. BRIEFEL, Senior Fellow, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC

ROSS C. BROWNSON, Professor, Epidemiology, Brown School and School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis

JAMIE F. CHRIQUI, Senior Research Scientist, Health Policy Center, Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago

STEPHEN FAWCETT, Professor, Applied Behavioral Science, Director, Work Group for Community Health and Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence

BRIAN R. FLAY, Professor, Public Health, Co-Director, Promise Neighborhoods Research Consortium, Oregon State University, Corvallis

DEANNA M. HOELSCHER, Director and Professor, Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, TX

JAMES W. KRIEGER, Chief, Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention, Public Health–Seattle & King County, WA

LAURA C. LEVITON, Senior Advisor for Evaluation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, NJ

K. M. VENKAT NARAYAN, Professor, Global Health and Epidemiology, The Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, GA

NICO P. PRONK, Vice President & Chief Science Officer, HealthPartners, Inc., Bloomington, MN

LORRENE RITCHIE, Director of Research, Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley

ELSIE TAVERAS, Chief, Division of General Pediatrics, Director, Pediatric Population Health Management, Massachusetts General Hospital and Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Study Staff

LESLIE J. SIM, Senior Program Officer

LYNN PARKER, Scholar

HEATHER BREINER, Associate Program Officer

SARAH SIEGEL, Senior Project Assistant (from October 2012)

ELENA OVAITT, Senior Project Assistant (until August 2012)

SARAH SLIWA, Mirzayan Policy Fellow (September to November 2012)

FAYE HILLMAN, Financial Associate

ANTON L. BANDY, Senior Financial Officer

GERALDINE KENNEDO, Administrative Assistant

LINDA D. MEYERS, Director, Food and Nutrition Board (until May 2013)

CLYDE J. BEHNEY, Acting Director, Food and Nutrition Board (from May 2013)

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

Reviewers

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

David B. Allison, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Cheryl Aspy, University of Oklahoma

Jay Bernhardt, University of Florida

Don Bishop, Minnesota Department of Health

Jon Blitstein, RTI International

Jan L. Breslow, The Rockefeller University

Kelly Evenson, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Mary Kay Fox, Mathematica

Tracy Fox, Food, Nutrition, and Policy, Consultants

Robert Hiatt, University of California, San Francisco

Pam Schwartz, Kaiser Permanente

Glorian Sorensen, Harvard University

Adolfo Valadez, Aetna

Karen Webb, University of California, Berkeley

Jean Wiecha, RTI International

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Eileen T. Kennedy, Tufts University,

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

and Caswell A. Evans, University of Illinois at Chicago. Appointed by the Institute of Medicine; they were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

Preface

The history of successful public health progress in confronting and controlling complex threats to population health has been marked most significantly by the ability and agreement to conduct assessments of the outbreak, conduct surveillance of the movement of the threat over time and between places and populations, and to conduct evaluations of efforts to interrupt or control those threats. Effective evaluations have depended on the development of consensus on the specific indicators and measures for comparisons in time and space and between jurisdictions with their varied policies, programs, services, cultures, as well as distinct physical and social environments. This report attempts to offer a degree of consensus on these essential ingredients for successful monitoring and evaluation of progress on obesity in America.

We wish to thank the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation for sponsoring this study. We begin by thanking in particular Aliya Hussaini for her encouragement. The Foundation’s support and vision for the role that evaluation must play in accelerating progress toward obesity prevention offered inspiration. Its full support for urging common use of specific indicators in such evaluation was significant.

The Committee deeply appreciates the extensive contributions of Debra Haire-Joshu, Ph.D., Washington University in St. Louis, who was commissioned to provide practical recommendations on disparities, health equity, and obesity prevention to inform the decisions of the Committee. Also, the Committee benefited greatly from the invaluable and illuminating assistance on evaluating the effectiveness of community-wide obesity prevention initiatives and on common measures provided by Carol Cahill, M.L.S., Group Health Cooperative; Diana Charbonneau, M.I.T., Group Health Cooperative; Allen Cheadle, Ph.D., Group Health Cooperative; Elena Kuo, Ph.D., Group Health Cooperative; Suzanne Rauzon, M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley; and Lisa Schafer, M.P.H., Group Health Cooperative.

The opportunity for discussion with the individuals who made presentations and attended the Committee’s public session (see Appendix I) was critical to the Committee’s work. We also gained experience and insight from discussions with individuals from a variety of perspectives and sectors, including Philip Bors, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities; Richard Conlin, Seattle City Council; Tracy Fox, Food, Nutrition, and Policy Consultants, LLC; Casey Korba, America’s Health Insurance Plans; Punam Ohri-Vachaspati, Arizona State University; Mary Ann Scheirer, Scheirer Consulting; Pam Schwartz, Kaiser Permanente; Nancy Sherwood, HealthPartners Institute for Education and Research; Sarah Strunk, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities; and Michael Yedidia, Rutgers University.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

The Committee could not have done its work without the outstanding guidance and support provided by the Institute of Medicine staff Leslie Sim, study director; Heather Breiner, associate program officer; and Lynn Parker, scholar. Sarah Siegel and Elena Ovaitt provided highly skilled logistical support. Linda Meyers’ guidance and counsel were invaluable throughout our deliberations. And last but not least, the report greatly benefited from the copyediting skills of Cori Vanchieri.

Lawrence W. Green, Chair

Committee on Evaluating Progress of Obesity Prevention Efforts

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R1
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R2
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R3
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R4
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R5
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R6
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R7
Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R8
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R9
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R10
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R11
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." Institute of Medicine. 2013. Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/18334.
×
Page R12
Next: Summary »
Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts: A Plan for Measuring Progress Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $79.00 Buy Ebook | $64.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

Obesity poses one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century, creating serious health, economic, and social consequences for individuals and society. Despite acceleration in efforts to characterize, comprehend, and act on this problem, including implementation of preventive interventions, further understanding is needed on the progress and effectiveness of these interventions.

Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts develops a concise and actionable plan for measuring the nation's progress in obesity prevention efforts—specifically, the success of policy and environmental strategies recommended in the 2012 IOM report Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation. This book offers a framework that will provide guidance for systematic and routine planning, implementation, and evaluation of the advancement of obesity prevention efforts. This framework is for specific use with the goals and strategies from the 2012 report and can be used to assess the progress made in every community and throughout the country, with the ultimate goal of reducing the obesity epidemic. It offers potentially valuable guidance in improving the quality and effect of the actions being implemented.

The recommendations of Evaluating Obesity Prevention Efforts focus on efforts to increase the likelihood that actions taken to prevent obesity will be evaluated, that their progress in accelerating the prevention of obesity will be monitored, and that the most promising practices will be widely disseminated.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!