Prevention Conference VII

O besity is increasing in prevalence throughout the world (see the report by Group I), and with this change, there is a major increase in associated cardiac, metabolic, and other noncommunicable diseases.1 This increase is particularly noticeable in countries in which there has not previously been an overweight and obesity problem, but it is also evident in countries in which obesity has been present for decades.Although in the past, obesity had some positive societal implications, representing wealth, fertility, and power, in the later decades of the 20th century and now in the 21st century, the perception of overweight and obesity has changed in developed society and also has changed in most other societies.Obesity (the definitions of overweight and obesity are given in the 2000 World Health Organization [WHO] Technical Report 2 and elsewhere in this report) now is seen as a social hindrance and is known to be associated with disease.Visceral or intraabdominal obesity, in contrast to subcutaneous or lower-body obesity, carries the greatest risk of cardiac and metabolic diseases.However, we must still recognize that overweight and obesity are part of a continuum and that health risks increase with increasing weight in the individual.This paper represents a summary of a scientific conference sponsored by the American Heart Association.The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the editor or the American Heart Association.The publication of these proceedings was approved by the American Heart Association Science Advisory and Coordinating Committee on June 1, 2004.All writing group members were required to complete and submit shortly before the conference a Faculty Disclosure Questionnaire.These disclosures can be found as an appendix to the Executive Summary.