Dissecting obesogenic environments: The development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity
B. Swinburn et al., Dissecting obesogenic environments: The development and application of a framework for identifying and prioritizing environmental interventions for obesity, PREV MED, 29(6), 1999, pp. 563-570
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.