The public health challenge of obesity: is it the new smoking?

Obesity is a complex social issue with one in four of the population said to be clinically obese. The number of obese people is increasing with children being seen most at risk and levels amongst adults increasing at an alarming rate throughout the UK. Weight gain has become an important issue with figures increasing rapidly in the last decade. Nearly one in four of the population has been defined as clinically obese (Office of National Statistics, 2006). This article considers the complexity of obesity and its health implications, highlighting its implications for community practitioners. We look at how public health responses to this growing problem indicate the need to develop a more coherent strategy for managing this major social challenge