Towards obesity prevention in British Columbia: A critical discourse analysis of key policy reports.

The government of British Columbia has made a commitment to applying population health and inequalities lenses to intervention strategies to ensure that vulnerable populations are of high priority. This study uses critical discourse analysis to examine two key policy reports to determine the types of public health frameworks used to guide obesity prevention and intervention strategies in British Columbia. The study found that a number of public health frameworks were being applied to obesity prevention and intervention strategies; however, risk factor epidemiology emerged as the dominant approach. The dominant use of this approach in public health intervention strategies can have negative consequences for vulnerable populations as it may overlook underlying social and structural determinants of health. The study discusses the repercussions of using this approach and makes recommendations to the provincial government for strategies that can be used to reduce inequalities experienced by vulnerable populations in British Columbia.