How Other Countries Fight Fat

How Other Countries Fight Fat: While many governments struggle to keep their citizens nourished, the leaders of wealthy nations are trying to get theirs to eat less. In Japan, health officials check the waistlines of citizens over 40, and those considered too fat undergo diet counseling. Failure to slim down can lead to fines. New Zealand has rules barring people In Great Britain—where 60% of men and 50% of women are expected to be obese by mid-century—r esidents of some cities are being recruited to wear electronic tracking tags to calculate how much they move each day and how many calories they burn. Daily exercisers will be rewarded with store coupons and even days off from work. Britain’s National Health Service is paying for at least 30,000 people to take weight-loss classes.

Germany plans to spend $47 million on healthy-eating and sports programs and to set tougher nutritional standards for school lunches. The government also is asking candy makers to stop targeting young children and encouraging software companies to develop games that force players to move.

— Lyric Wallwork Winik

Would some form of this work in America?  I think it would have to work by incentive only?