Conflicting concerns in fighting obesity

TY - GEN

T1 - Conflicting concerns in fighting obesity

AU - Jensen, Karsten Klint

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - Fighting the obesity epidemic gives rise to conflict between several major ethical concerns. From the point of view of total welfare in society, it seems justified to seek to minimise the prevalence of obesity through restrictions on consumption believed to increase obesity and to seek to change peoples' life style away from obesity through positive and negative incentives. It may be compatible with liberal principles to invoke various restrictions on consumption or to put incentives for a healthy life style in place. Still, these strategies might involve a tendency to undermine the autonomy by not respecting individuals as persons with responsibility for their own life. This tendency is strengthened by public health care, which generally lets the community bear the health care costs for people with unhealthy life styles. This paper argues that, if the principle of responsibility is carried to its logical conclusion, then health insurance would have to be exclusively a personal matter. But the principal reason for having a public health system is that private health insurance would be unfair. Moreover, the complicated causal mechanisms underlying obesity makes it difficult to apply the concept of personal responsibility. Hence, once public health care is in place, a principal ethical question is how to weigh up the concern for efficiency of resources spent, and the concern for fairness. Still, the problem with responsibility remains. Clearly, it would be better, if obese people would become motivated to take more responsibility for their own health. Presumably, however, obese people are victims of negative attitudes in the general public and also to some extent of hidden discrimination in health care. In order to respect autonomy, and also to be effective, offers of help must be free of condemning attitudes.

AB - Fighting the obesity epidemic gives rise to conflict between several major ethical concerns. From the point of view of total welfare in society, it seems justified to seek to minimise the prevalence of obesity through restrictions on consumption believed to increase obesity and to seek to change peoples' life style away from obesity through positive and negative incentives. It may be compatible with liberal principles to invoke various restrictions on consumption or to put incentives for a healthy life style in place. Still, these strategies might involve a tendency to undermine the autonomy by not respecting individuals as persons with responsibility for their own life. This tendency is strengthened by public health care, which generally lets the community bear the health care costs for people with unhealthy life styles. This paper argues that, if the principle of responsibility is carried to its logical conclusion, then health insurance would have to be exclusively a personal matter. But the principal reason for having a public health system is that private health insurance would be unfair. Moreover, the complicated causal mechanisms underlying obesity makes it difficult to apply the concept of personal responsibility. Hence, once public health care is in place, a principal ethical question is how to weigh up the concern for efficiency of resources spent, and the concern for fairness. Still, the problem with responsibility remains. Clearly, it would be better, if obese people would become motivated to take more responsibility for their own health. Presumably, however, obese people are victims of negative attitudes in the general public and also to some extent of hidden discrimination in health care. In order to respect autonomy, and also to be effective, offers of help must be free of condemning attitudes.

KW - Ethics

M3 - Article in proceedings

SN - 978-90-8686-154-5

SP - 171

EP - 175

BT - Global food security

A2 - Romeo Casabona, Carlos M.

A2 - Escajedo San Epifanio, Leire

A2 - Emaldi Cirión, Aitziber

PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers

T2 - Global food security: ethical and legal challenges. EurSafe 2010

Y2 - 16 September 2010 through 18 September 2010

ER -