ABSTRACT

The opening article of the second Lancet “Obesity” series describes the false dichotomies behind conventional approaches to obesity prevention [1]. These false dichotomies include either/or arguments around the significance of individual responsibility or government policies, prevention or treatment interventions, and public-or private-sector actions, for example. However, as this and other papers [2-6] in the Lancet “Obesity” series point out, the reality is that solutions to the obesity problem require the integration and coordination of all these approaches. Nevertheless, how these diverse approaches can and should be integrated remains a daunting challenge. This dilemma lies at the heart of the complexity of obesity. Systems approaches provide a way to address this dilemma.