Technical Paper 1:
Obesity in Australia: a need for urgent action
3.2.8 - The environment
- 1 - Executive summary
2 - Obesity in Australia
3 - Obesity prevention- 3.1 - What could be achieved in obesity control
- 3.2 - What is required to address the problem
- 3.2.1 - Prompt action
- 3.2.2 - Multi-faceted, multi-sectoral response
- 3.2.3 - Leadership and coordination
- 3.2.4 - Role of individuals
- 3.2.5 - Role of governments
- 3.2.6 - Role of healthcare systems
- 3.2.7 - Social determinants of health
- 3.2.8 - The environment
- 3.2.9 - Working with industry
- 3.2.10 - Population-wide focus
- 3.2.11 - High-risk groups
- 3.2.12 - Costs
- 3.2.13 - Research, monitoring and evaluation
- 4 - Potential initiatives
- Conclusion
- References
- Addendum for October 2008 to June 2009
The environment plays an important role in our health and in helping to make sensible decisions about health. The environment is taken to include the global climate, the physical and built environment (for example, the workplace, air quality, planning decisions that affect our health), the socio-economic environment (including the working environment) and external influences such as the promotion of healthy or unhealthy behaviours.
The health system needs to work at all these levels to promote health in many and varied partnerships and across agencies, Partnerships outside the health system should include those with all levels of government, planning, infrastructure and transport departments, police and the courts, local councils, employers, businesses, early-learning centres, schools and universities (adapted from NHHRC 2008).[44]