Moving Nutrition Upstream: The Case for Reframing Obesity

Currently, nutrition is described primarily as a matter of individual responsibility, which results in a focus on limited strategies that are unlikely to be successful. Public health advocates need to change the terms of debate or “reframe” the issue so that the context around individuals—the social, economic, and political context—comes into view. This paper uses obesity as an example of the need for reframing in nutrition. The authors also offer some suggestions on reframing based on lessons learned from other public health issues.