(Taylor & Francis, 2017-01-25) Khayatzadeh-Mahani, Akram; Ruckert, Arne; Labonté, Ronald
The multi-factorial causes of obesity demand integrated prevention policies
with the collaboration of diverse sectors, although to date, there is little
evidence of engagement by non-health sectors in developing obesity
prevention policies. In this commentary, we develop a three-step argument
for improving intersectoral collaboration. We first note that to encourage
non-health sectors in developing and implementing integrated preventive
policies, obesity should be reframed as a systemic problem rather than its
dominant framing as a matter of individual behavioural change. We then
propose a co-framing of obesity, such that it aligns with the policy goals
of diverse non-health sectors. Finally, drawing on the network governance
literature, we argue that a network-based governance approach with
an independent network administrative organization will best facilitate
multisectoral collaboration through a successful co-framing strategy.