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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Aug 20, 2009
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October 2009, Vol 99, No. 10 | American Journal of Public Health 1799-1805
© 2009 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2008.151183

FRAMING HEALTH MATTERS

A Legal Primer for the Obesity Prevention Movement

Seth E. Mermin, JD, MEd and Samantha K. Graff, JD

Seth E. Mermin is a consultant with Public Health Law & Policy, Oakland, CA, and is also with the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley. Samantha K. Graff is with Public Health Law & Policy, Oakland.

Correspondence: Correspondence should be sent to Samantha K. Graff, Public Health Law & Policy, 2201 Broadway, Suite 502, Oakland, CA 94612 (e-mail: sgraff{at}phlpnet.org). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the "Reprints/Eprints" link.

Public health advocates and scientists working on obesity prevention policy face challenges in balancing legal rights, individual freedom, and societal health goals. In particular, the US Constitution and the 50 state constitutions place limits on the ability of government to act, even in the best interests of the public. To help policymakers avoid crossing constitutional boundaries, we distilled the legal concepts most relevant to formulating policies aimed at preventing obesity: police power; allocation of power among federal, state, and local governments; freedom of speech; property rights; privacy; equal protection; and contract rights. The goal is to allow policymakers to avoid potential constitutional problems in the formation of obesity prevention policy.






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