Collective

These polarized opinions are what researchers are constantly having to deal with.  Take for example childhood obesity research.  For some time, this field has concentrated on research for the individual.  They have cooking classes, nutrition classes, parental classes, exercise classes, counseling, and other interventions focused on teaching or exposing the individual to knowledge and skills of eating healthier and exercising.  This form is prey to the idea that these children and adolescents who are obese or have metabolic problems can change their lives for the better if they just knew how to eat better and if they just knew their hot cheetos and gatorade diet might not be that great for them.  

Recently the idea of the built environment has taken the spotlight.  I say recently because even a year ago in reviewing built environment articles in an educational setting of primarily individual focused intervention projects, experts in the field were still questioning the idea of the built environment.  Arguably it is harder to measure the effects of built environment, it takes more money to do large scale interventions, and of course that most of the extinguished journals in the field of obesity were still centered on individual change.  But now that the bandwagon of built environment has started, everyone is trying to get a piece of it if they understand it or can turn their head around to agree with the idea that maybe it isnt just the individual.

Maybe the kids in south central aren't fat because they lack the knowledge to not eat hot cheetos, or that they arent motivated to stop eating cheetos.  Maybe its because they dont have markets that offer food and vegetables that can actually be eating or bought on the income of the household.  Maybe its because they cant go out to exercise because they have to be ready to dodge bullets without notice.  Maybe its because their parents cant cook for them because they are working 4 jobs or wont let them go outside because they dont want to lose their kids to violence.  The list goes on... but the bottom line is that I think both are right and that their cant be polar opposites as a solution.

We need to change the environment so vulnerable populations have access, have opportunities, have possibilities, and have what they need to do better instead of being in a prison of their neighborhood.  At the same time, generations have grown up in these neighborhoods knowing nothing else and we need to educate, empower, increase efficacy, and increase motivating in the individuals and the community to do better for themselves.  We can't have one simple solution, we can only have a collective, comprehensive solution that can be done by the people in the population within their population.