In your Editorial (Dec 18/25, p 2042), you argue that obesity should be tackled by a comprehensive approach focusing on the underlying causes of obesity and not medicating a disorder. Medical approaches to obesity could have public health importance. Public health policy on obesity could learn from tobacco control. Much in tobacco control has nothing to do with medical activity, but there are important population effects from medical intervention. There is good evidence that physicians should undertake brief interventions to motivate cessation, frequently combined with prescription of medication and behavioural support. In England, more than 0.75 million received support and medication in the financial year 2009-10, most referred by their primary care physician. By itself this has a limited but not negligible effect on prevalence of smoking. But it illustrates how national investment in treatment opportunities can lead to high population uptake of treatment with effects on public health.
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