A recent report by The Lancet Commission on Obesity is ranked one of the top 100 academic papers for 2019. The annual Altmetric Top 100 highlights research published in 2019 that has generated significant international online attention and discussion. William Dietz, MD, PhD, chair of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH), was the senior author on the report.
The report examined ‘The Global Syndemic,’ defined as the synergistic interactions of the pandemics of obesity, undernutrition and climate change. The report called on global leaders and policymakers to rethink economic incentives and commercial interests within the food, transportation and land use systems and recommended actions that would address these growing public health problems.
The Lancet Commission on Obesity was the result of a three-year project that included 26 experts from 14 countries. Dietz co-chaired the commission along with Boyd Swinburn, MD, a professor of population nutrition and global health in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland.
"I am pleased that our report received this recognition and continues to be a useful framework for the field," Dietz said. "Climate change is the most urgent issue affecting the health of people and the planet and the need to act on our recommendations is more critical than ever. We look forward to continuing to partner across the country and across the globe to move the needle on this pressing public health challenge."
Altmetric, a London-based company that tracks and analyzes online activity around academic literature, has released an annual Top 100 list since 2013. The 2019 ranking features research from various disciplines written by researchers worldwide that was published in 43 different journals, preprint servers, and government websites.
According to Altmetric, The Lancet report was mentioned by 141 news outlets, 18 blogs, numerous social media platforms and was widely shared and discussed by members of the public, health care professionals and scientists.
Listen to a podcast on The Lancet Commission on Obesity here and watch a video on the report’s findings here as well as the latest update from Dr. Dietz and Dr. Swinburn here.