Improving laws and legal authorities for obesity prevention and control.

T his paper is one of four interrelated action papers resulting from the 2008 National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control. Summit participants engaged in discussions on the current state of the law with respect to obesity, nutrition and food policy, physical activity, and physical education. Participants also identified gaps in the law at all jurisdictional levels and relevant to numerous sectors and disciplines that have a stake in obesity prevention and control. The companion paper, " Assessment of Laws and Legal Authorities for Obesity Prevention and Control , " identified numerous laws and policies enacted to target the three domains of healthy lifestyles, healthy places, and healthy societies. 1 That paper identified several gaps in the law that require attention and action. This paper addresses those gaps and presents applicable laws and legal authorities that public health professionals and lawyers can consider to implement to close the gaps. Public health legal preparedness is the " attainment by a public health system of specified legal benchmarks or standards essential to the preparedness of the public health system. " 2 Public health systems vary depending on the health issue confronted but nearly always include public health and legal practitioners along with relevant setting and sector stakeholders. The goal of this paper is to present action items for law and policymakers and public health practitioners at the federal, tribal, state, local, and community levels to consider when developing, implementing, and evaluating obesity prevention and control strategies and interventions. This paper will define legal action items for those working within the different public health systems to use to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy. Like the companion paper, this paper is divided by the three vital domains: Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Places, and Healthy Societies. Specific action options are provided under each domain and the table provides a broader list of relevant options developed at the Summit. Healthy lifestyles exist when the environment facilitates physical activity and healthy food choices. 3 The goal of this domain is to make the default environment one that fosters healthy lifestyles. Access to Healthy Food The overarching contributors to choosing healthy foods are the cost, quantity, and quality of the food supply. One factor to the general make-up and relative pricing of food in the U.S. is due in large part to the farm subsidies established and maintained under