Childhood Obesity and the Importance of Rights Discourse: A Way Forward for Public Health Practitioners

Abstract

Childhood obesity is a matter of ongoing concern and one that urgently needs to be addressed. Human rights discourse can be a powerful tool in the hands of public health practitioners and can provide another way forward to address this public health concern. The integration of discourses on human rights and children's rights provides a mechanism to construct public health problems - such as childhood obesity - as a legal problem. The importance of human rights discourse in the context of public health issues is in the manner in which it can be utilised outside formal legal structures. Recourse to principles of human rights and children's rights must inform practice and in doing so affect how society at large sees the need to address various public health matters.