Taking on “Big Fat”: The Relative Risks and Benefits of the War Against Obesity

Abstract

Most health care ethicists are ill at ease in the world of public health ethics where the whole community or population is the object of focus, and the main moral tug-of-war is between the competing values of individual freedom and social welfare. Nevertheless, they are increasingly being pushed into the public health realm to address everyday issues, including overeating. I will first briefly note some of the health-status and health-cost concerns raised by the increased incidence of overweight and obesity among the American population. Next, I will discuss some of the most plausible explanations for Americans' expanding girth, including feminist Susan Bordo's analysis of consumer-capitalism. Then, using a framework developed by epidemiologist Geoffrey Rose, I will discuss the relative risks and benefits of both a ``high-risk{''} (clinical) and ``population{''} (public health) approach to obesity and overweight. Finally, I will conclude that the benefits outweigh the risks of a public health campaign against obesity.