Generating better evidence to engage local food outlets in obesity prevention research

Participation from the business community is critical to effectively addressing the problem of obesity. This commentary builds on the recent Institute of Medicine report - Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention - which calls for participation from the business community, particularly food outlets, to effectively address the problem of obesity. This commentary specifically discusses the importance of collecting information on fiscal-related outcomes (e.g., revenue) in order to better engage local food outlets in obesity prevention activities in the community. The routine collection of fiscal indicators in obesity prevention studies is critical so that the argument for more involvement from local food outlets, particularly for those interventions which are revenue positive or revenue neutral, can be more persuasively made.