The obesity epidemic: lessons from the war on smoking.

Obesity is no longer a personal disease; it is a new global disease and public health phenomenon. Since the 1980s, obesity in the U.S. has taken on epidemic dimensions. This paper will review the epidemiology, mortality, and cost of obesity in the U.S. and Missouri. It will examine the national experience in the war on smoking and point out the similarities with our new struggle against obesity. Finally, it concludes with recommendations.