Brownell and Frieden explicitly argue in favor of federal and/or state government actions to address public health problems such as those related to obesity and tobacco use. Why do Brownell and...

Brownell and Frieden explicitly argue in favor of federal and/or state government actions to address public health problems such as those related to obesity and tobacco use. Why do Brownell and Frieden assume that government should have a role in influencing people’s decisions about their own health? In other words, why is the so-called “obesity epidemic” a public policy problem? Imposing taxes is one thing government can do. What other actions could or should the government do to solve public health problems?