Letters
Is obesity a disease?
Obesity is a public health emergency
BMJ 2019; 366 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l5463 (Published 13 September 2019) Cite this as: BMJ 2019;366:l5463
- Agnes Ayton, consultant psychiatrist1,
- Ali Ibrahim, specialty trainee year 5 in child and adolescent mental health2
- 1Cotswold House Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK
- 2South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 9RS, UK
- agnes.ayton{at}oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
The obesity epidemic started in the 1970s, initially in the United States and subsequently spreading worldwide.1 Approximately 60-80% of adults and 20-30% of children in most Western countries are now overweight or obese, which is unprecedented in human history.23The BMJ asks whether this change should be regarded a consequence of individual choices or a disease affecting the population.4 …
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