Obesity: person and population.

Abstract

Obesity is a problem among all ages and races, in both genders, and across all socioeconomic classes, and the prevalence of obesity has been increasing. Efforts are being made to combat the increasing prevalence, but only modest success has been achieved. Obesity is affected by multiple factors. There are genetic and environmental components involved, yet pinpointing specific genetic and environmental influences has been difficult. Development of treatments has ranged from pharmaceuticals to behavioral modification. Extant treatments aimed at the individual and administered for relatively brief portions of the lifespan have shown only modest results. If we are to make pervasive and enduring changes to population adiposity levels, it is likely that we will need to make pervasive and enduring changes to the ways in which we live across the lifespan.