There is no single or simple solution to the obesity epidemic. It’s a complex problem and there has to be a multifaceted approach. Policy makers, state and local organizations, business and community leaders, school, childcare and healthcare professionals, and individuals must work together to create an environment that supports a healthy lifestyle. There are several ways state and local organizations can create a supportive environment to promote healthy living behaviors that prevent obesity.

Public Health Strategies to Prevent and Control Obesity. To frame the discussion around the use of laws and legal authorities to prevent and control obesity, the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control focused on six target areas, four key intervention settings (i.e., communities, medical care, schools, and workplaces), and three social issues around which.

State and Local Programs

Resources are available to help disseminate consistent public health recommendations and evidence-based practices for state, local, territorial and tribal public health organizations, grantees, and practitioners.

Knowing your body mass index (BMI), achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, and getting regular physical activity are all actions you can take for yourself to combat obesity.

Community Efforts

To reverse the obesity epidemic, community efforts should focus on supporting healthy eating and active living in a variety of settings. Learn about different efforts that can be used in early childhood care, hospitals, schools, and food service venues.

Healthy Living

The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn’t short-term dietary changes; it’s about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating and regular physical activity.

• Assessing Your Weight
  BMI and waist circumference are two screening tools to estimate weight status and potential disease risk.
• Healthy Weight
  A high BMI can be an indicator of high body fatness. Visit the Healthy Weight Website; learn about balancing calories, losing weight, and maintaining a healthy weight.
• ChooseMyPlateExternal
  Healthy eating habits are a key factor for a healthy weight. Visit the ChooseMyPlate Website; look up nutritional information of foods, track your calorie intake, plan meals, and find healthy recipes.
• Physical Activity Basics
  Physical activity is important for health and a healthy weight. Learn about different kinds of physical activity and the guidelines for the amount needed each day.
• Tips for Parents
  Learn about the seriousness of childhood obesity and how to help your child establish healthy behaviors.

Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention Strategies and Guidelines provides guidance for program managers, policy makers, and others on how to select strategies.

As we continue to modernize our lifestyles — riding instead of walking, working in a cubicle instead of in a field, playing iPods instead of sports — more people are becoming overweight and, worse, obese. In fact, there are so many overweight and obese people that some public health officials now call it an epidemic, particularly because of the many resulting health problems.

Obesity: A Worldwide Problem

Around the world, more than one billion adults are overweight and about 300 million of them are obese. In the United States, 66 percent of all adults are overweight and, of those, 32 percent are obese.

Obesity levels in Japan and some African nations are below 5 percent, but they’re rising. Obesity rates in China overall are not high, but in some of that country’s larger cities, rates are up 20 percent.

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions, too. The number of overweight children in the United States has doubled since 1980, and for teens, it's tripled. And the problem with children is now a global issue as well.

Obesity: Why It’s Happening

Although your genes play a role in your body weight, there are other factors involved. In many places around the world, particularly the United States, we have plenty of nutrient-rich food to eat and easy access to fattening fast foods and sweets. Also, because of our modern lifestyles, we are not as active as we once were. The end result: We're eating more calories than we can burn.

Being overweight or obese can cause a whole cascade of health problems, from heart disease and diabetes to stroke and even some types of cancer. These diseases can seriously impact a person's quality of life and lead to premature death.

Obesity: How It Differs From Being Overweight

Obesity and overweight are terms used to describe a level of excess weight that's considered unhealthy for your body size. One way to determine if you are overweight or obese is to figure out your body mass index (BMI), a calculation you make by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters (kg/m2). Don’t worry — you don't have to do the math; you can find BMI calculators online.

Community Programs For Obesity

Note that for adults:

• A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight
• A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese

Programs To Reduce Obesity

When assessing teens and children, BMIs that are higher than normal weight ranges have other labels, such as 'at risk of overweight' and 'overweight.' Also, health professionals take into account the differences in body fat between boys and girls as well as changes in body fat at different ages.

Obesity: Finding a Solution

Getting our obesity and overweight epidemic under control will involve more than just telling everyone to go on a diet. The World Health Organization says it requires an integrated approach that includes:

• Promoting healthy eating habits and encouraging exercise
• Developing public policies that promote access to healthy, low-fat, high-fiber foods
• Training healthcare professionals so that they can effectively support people who need to lose weight and help others avoid gaining weight

Here's what you can do to lose weight or avoid becoming overweight or obese:

• Eat more fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
• Exercise, even moderately, for at least 30 minutes a day.
• Cut down your consumption of fatty and sugary foods.
• Use vegetable-based oils rather than animal-based fats.

Help Stop Obesity

So walk a little more, eat a little less — and do what you need to do to maintain a healthy BMI.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Healthy Living Center.