Obesity: Historical Overview: National Obsession

By the 1960s weight loss had become an American obsession for both genders; men were included because the data on heart disease suggested a greater health risk for males, with overweight classified as a risk factor. Anxious dieters placed their faith in behavioral approaches, including weight-reducing chains like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, and Overeaters Anonymous, which enrolled millions. Fad diet books based on scant science sold millions of copies. These strategies, which thrived on recidivism, only enhanced desperation as people repeatedly tried and failed to lose weight. Even overweight children became targets. Through the 1960s physicians and parents perceived plumpness in children as evidence of being loved. When research found that an overweight child had up to an 80 percent greater chance of becoming obese in adulthood than a thin child, this view changed. Overweight children were taken to doctors for early medical attention and preventive care.