Why aren’t health professionals telling us we’re fat? The role of health services in the prevention of overweight and obesity

Abstract

A major risk factor for many chronic diseases is being obese. In Australia, rates are increasing across all age and socioeconomic groups. The causes of obesity are a complex combination of biological, environmental and individual factors. Consequently, responses to obesity need to be multifactorial and tailored to local circumstances. The health system has a key role to play in obesity prevention. This is not a simple matter of injecting more resources, writing a new policy or introducing changes to the organisational structure. Changing health service practice needs to also take into account the impact of each settings professional, cultural and organisational factors and the way these interact and feedback to each other.