Boyd Swinburn published his view on obesogenic environments, especially the food environment. This constitutes a “market failure,” signaling the need for government interventions with policies, programs, and social marketing. Food marketing to children is a central policy issue for governments to address, and comprehensive regulations are needed to provide substantive protection for children. The 2 major challenges are to ensure substantial funding to promote healthy weights can be scaled up to a national level and to ensure that policies are in place to support these efforts. The social and cultural shifts that support healthy eating and physical activity occur differentially. A positive public health approach encompassing environmental, regulatory, sociocultural, and educational strategies offer the best chance of reducing obesity.

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