Abstract
Obesity is a global epidemic affecting both the developed and developing worlds alike. Overweight
and obesity has also been found to be on the rise among Thailand’s male and female population. More-over, they are considered as a leading health risk factor in the Thai population. Tackling overweight and
obesity in Thailand has lead to the formation of the Resolution on Managing Overweight and Obesity,
which has finally been endorsed by the National Health Commission, and was also approved by the
Cabinet in 2010 as part of the Thai national agenda. Meanwhile, the Office of the National Economic and
Social Development Board (NESDB) developed the 11th National Economic and Social Development Plan
as a strategy for national development over the next five years. The aim of this study is to analyze the
consistency between the Resolution and the 11th Five-Year Plan. The results of the study will be useful in
formulating the National Action Plan for overweight and obesity, as well as in reflecting the drafting and
approval process of the 11th Plan.
Comparatively, the key approach for the development of the 11th Plan focuses on an individual-level
defensive approach, such as the promotion of education among the Thai population. The Resolution
focuses not only on a defensive approach, but also on an offensive approach, with a wide array of regulatory
interventions, such as tax, pricing, nutrition and food labeling, and food marketing restrictions. The
strategies of the 11th Plan, for example, trade liberalization, discourage regulatory interventions for curbing
overweight and obesity. Unhealthy foods have increasing access to the market. Although preventive
approaches that would affect trade agreements and trade liberalization are proposed, they would be implemented
after these foods access markets. It seems clear from the literature that the international trade
issues need to be considered in the context of public health, including improving diets and health education.
The implementation of both defensive and offensive approaches, for example, the promotion of
education through food and nutrition labeling interventions, may increase the effectiveness of efforts to
improve healthy behaviors among the population.
