Dissecting obesogenic environments: The development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity

Background. The "obesogenicity" of modern environments is fueling the obesi ty pandemic, We describe a framework, known as ANGELO (analysis grid for en vironments linked to obesity), which is a conceptual model for understandin g the obesogenicity of environments and a practical tool for prioritizing e nvironmental elements for research and intervention. Methods: Development of the ANGELO framework. The basic framework is a 2 x 4 grid which dissects the environment into environmental size (micro and ma cro) by type: physical (what is available), economic (what are the costs), political (what are the "rules"), and sociocultural (what are the attitudes and beliefs). Within this grid, the elements which influence food intake a nd physical activity are characterized as obesogenic or "leptogenic') (prom oting leanness). Results: Application of the ANGELO framework. The ANGELO framework has been piloted at the population level (island communities) to prioritize the set tings/ sectors for intervention and at the setting level (fast food outlets ) to prioritize research needs and interventions. Environmental elements we re prioritized by rating their validity (evidence of impact), relevance (to the local context), and potential changeability. Conclusions. The ANGELO framework appears to be a flexible and robust instr ument for the needs analysis and problem identification stages of reducing the obesogenicity of modern environments, (C) 1999 American Health Foundati on and Academic Press.