Tackling social isolation could be more effective than healthy eating for obesity

By Andrea Wigfield, Professor Applied Social and Policy Research; Director, Centre for Loneliness Studies, Sheffield Hallam University

People with obesity are commonly urged to lose weight by eating more healthily, cutting down on calorie intake and exercising more – but that advice overlooks a crucial problem.

It overstates individual agency – putting the person at fault because of poor lifestyle choices – and doesn’t take into account all the factors contributing to the obesity crisis. For instance, research has found that there are significant social determinants of obesity, such as poverty, stigma and loneliness.

A…

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