Abstract
Excerpt: Many countries are experiencing an obesity epidemic. Obesity is associated with increased risks for chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, coronary diseases, osteoarthritis, hypertension, and certain types of cancer. Sturm1 suggests that obesity might have a stronger association than smoking or problem drinking with the occurrence of chronic medical conditions, reduced health-related quality of life, and increased spending for health care and drugs. In the USA, the added health-care costs for conditions related to obesity in those who will be aged 50–69 years in 2020 could account for as much as one in five health-care dollars.2 Consequently, controlling and preventing obesity has become a public-health priority. Recently, Alison Avenell and colleagues3 prepared, for the UK National Health Services Research and Development Health Technology Assessment Programme, a systematic review of the long-term effects and economic consequences of treatments for obesity.