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Obesity: a Ghost at the Feast of the Sustainable Development Goals

  • The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences (A Cameron and K Backholer, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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A Correction to this article was published on 23 November 2020

This article has been updated

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Despite its rapidly rising global prevalence, obesity is not featured in any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This review highlights the multiple points at which obesity is affected by the Goals.

Recent Findings

At least 14 out of the 17 thematic SDG targets play a role in driving the obesity epidemic, including health, food, education, water quality, land and ocean quality, urbanisation and employment.

Summary

Although the SDGs recognise the need to reduce ‘malnutrition in all its forms’, the Goals underplay the role of urbanisation and unregulated markets on dietary health. Furthermore, adherence to the SDGs may be weak and compromised by conflicted interests. Nonetheless, governments have shown that they can, when pressed, respond to health challenges, and we anticipate how the rise in the numbers of people experiencing excess bodyweight may itself lead to greater demand for collective responsibility to ensure our environments are fully health-creating.

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Change history

  • 23 November 2020

    A Correction to this paper has been published: <ExternalRef><RefSource>https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-020-00417-7</RefSource><RefTarget Address="10.1007/s13679-020-00417-7" TargetType="DOI"/></ExternalRef>

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. World Obesity Federation, Suite 406, 107-111 Fleet Street, London, EC4A 2AB, UK

    Tim Lobstein

  2. Boden Institute, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Tim Lobstein

  3. UK Working Group on NCDs, London, UK

    Katy Cooper

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  1. Tim Lobstein
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  2. Katy Cooper
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Correspondence to Tim Lobstein.

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Tim Lobstein declares that he has no conflict of interest. Katy Cooper declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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The original version of this article was revised due to some mistakes in Author's affiliation information, in some areas of the article texts, and references.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on The Obesity Epidemic: Causes and Consequences

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Lobstein, T., Cooper, K. Obesity: a Ghost at the Feast of the Sustainable Development Goals. Curr Obes Rep 9, 470–478 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-020-00405-x

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