Joined up action - building broader support 

A perfect storm of societal changes is responsible for the current levels of obesity and inactivity - changes in urban planning, business, economics, agriculture and trade, entertainment and technology, and sport and recreation.

The causes of obesity are complex, partly genetic and biological, and partly socially and economically formed.

Thousands of small and seismic shifts have made our population heavier and less fit, ranging from the composition and availability of food, indoor recreation, household purchasing power, family busyness and parenting patterns, through to business and tax incentives.

We need to apply a myriad of solutions. Success requires as many interventions as possible by a full range of private and public sectors in society, says the McKinsey report into Overcoming Global Obesity.