Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is widely acknowledged as a noncommunicable chronic disease with global prevalence and serious health and economic implications. Over the past 40 years, its prevalence has nearly tripled and has spread from high‐income countries to low‐ and middle‐income countries. Adults and children are equally affected, yet children are especially disadvantaged due to the strong tendency of childhood obesity to persist into adulthood. While the causes of obesity are increased calorie intake and decreased calorie expenditure, the “causes of the causes” lie in the wider socioeconomic and cultural environment. Most obesity researchers and policymakers agree that tackling the obesity pandemic effectively requires changes to the wider socioeconomic environment, rather than to individual behaviors alone. Yet, communication efforts on an interpersonal and societal level often focus only on individual changes and ignore the social determinants of health related to obesity. Focusing on lifestyle, however, misses the big picture and can lead to blaming of individuals, and to stigmatization of obesity. Clinician–patient communication about obesity occurs rarely and is laced with apprehension on both sides and weight bias on behalf of health professionals. Health communication plays an integral part in how obesity is discussed and problematized in society, and in how people with obesity are treated. Addressing obesity successfully would require a widespread positive reframing of current discussions, as public health history has shown that societal attitudes need to change before people's bodies do.