American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume 34, Issue 4 , Pages 333-340 , April 2008

Preventing Childhood Obesity Through State Policy: Predictors of Bill Enactment

  • Tegan K. Boehmer, PhD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, Missouri
    • Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC, Atlanta, Georgia
    • ,
  • Douglas A. Luke, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, Missouri
    • ,
  • Debra L. Haire-Joshu, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, Missouri
    • ,
  • Hannalori S. Bates, BA

      Affiliations

    • Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, Missouri
    • ,
  • Ross C. Brownson, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Saint Louis University School of Public Health, St. Louis, Missouri
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Ross Brownson, PhD, Saint Louis University School of Public Health, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Salus Center Suite 300, St. Louis MO 63104.

References 

  1. Institute of Medicine. Preventing childhood obesity: health in the balance. Washington DC: National Academies Press; 2005;
  2. Brownson RC, Haire-Joshu D, Luke DA. Shaping the context of health: a review of environmental and policy approaches in the prevention of chronic diseases. Annu Rev Public Health. 2006;27:341–370
  3. Dietz WH, Bland MG, Gortmaker SL, Molloy M, Schmid TL. Policy tools for the childhood obesity epidemic. J Law Med Ethics. 2002;30(Suppl 3):83–87
  4. Hayne CL, Moran PA, Ford MM. Regulating environments to reduce obesity. J Public Health Policy. 2004;25:391–407
  5. Lobstein T, Baur LA. Policies to prevent childhood obesity in the European Union. Eur J Public Health. 2005;15:576–579
  6. Ryan KW, Card-Higginson P, McCarthy SG, Justus MB, Thompson JW. Arkansas fights fat: translating research into policy to combat childhood and adolescent obesity. Health Aff (Millwood). 2006;25:992–1004
  7. Turnock BJ. Public health: What it is and how it works. 2nd ed.. Gaithersburg MD: Aspen Publishers; 2001;
  8. Boehmer TK, Brownson RC, Haire-Joshu D, Dreisinger ML. Patterns of childhood obesity prevention legislation in the U.S. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2007. www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/jul/06_0082.htm
  9. Schmid TL, Pratt M, Witmer L. A framework for physical activity policy research. J Phys Act Health. 2006;3:S20–S29
  10. Luke DA, Krauss M. Where there’s smoke there’s money: tobacco industry campaign contributions and U.S. Congressional voting. Am J Prev Med. 2004;27:363–372
  11. Health Policy Tracking Service. NetScan website. www.netscan.com/Outside/HPTSServices.asp
  12. Health Policy Tracking Service. State actions to promote nutrition, increase physical activity, and prevent obesity: a legislative overview. Health Policy Tracking Service; 2005;www.rwjf.org/files/research/RWJFDecReport.pdf
  13. Hox J. Multilevel analysis: techniques and applications. Mahwah NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc; 2002;
  14. McDonough J. Experiencing politics: a legislator’s stories of government and health care. Berkeley CA: University of California Press; 2000;
  15. McGowan A, Brownson RC, Wilcox L, Mensah G. Prevention and control of chronic diseases. In:  Goodman R,  Rothstein M,  Hoffman R,  Lopez W editor. Law in Public Health Practice. 2nd ed.. New York: Oxford University Press; 2007;
  16. Williams-Crowe SM, Aultman TV. State health agencies and the legislative policy process. Public Health Rep. 1994;109:361–367
  17. Browne WP. Multiple sponsorship and bill success in U.S. state legislatures. Legislative Studies Quarterly. 1985;10:483–488
  18. Krutz GS. Issues and Institutions: “Winnowing” in the U.S. Congress. Am J Pol Sci. 2005;49:313–326
  19. Schiller WJ. Senators as political entrepreneurs: using bill sponsorship to shape legislative agendas. Am J Pol Sci. 1995;39:186–203
  20. Krutz GS. Tactical maneuvering on omnibus bills in Congress. Am J Pol Sci. 2001;45:210–223
  21. Barrilleaux C, Holbrook T, Langer L. Electoral competition, legislative balance, and American state welfare policy. Am J Pol Sci. 2002;46:415–427
  22. Economos CD, Brownson RC, DeAngelis MA, et al. What lessons have been learned from other attempts to guide social change?. Nutr Rev. 2001;59:S40–S65
  23. Volden C. States as policy laboratories: emulating success in the children’s health insurance program. Am J Pol Sci. 2006;50:294–312
  24. Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IC, Wang G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: How much, and who’s paying?. Health Aff. 2003;22:219–226

 At the time this research was conducted, Dr. Boehmer was affiliated with Saint Louis University.

PII: S0749-3797(08)00004-4

doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.01.003

American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume 34, Issue 4 , Pages 333-340 , April 2008

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