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Obesity is a public health concern worldwide associated with significant health risks and comorbid conditions 1, 2. During the years between 1980 and 2008, the international prevalence of obesity has increased twofold. In 1980, 5% of men and 8% of women were obese, according to the body mass index (BMI) reference of ≥30 kg/m2. Almost three decades later, 10% of men and 14% of women presented with obesity. Current databases document that more than half a billion adults worldwide are obese; more women than men are obese, with estimates of 297 million and 205 million, respectively 3. Childhood obesity is increasing at a similar pace. In 1990, 4.2% of children were overweight and obese, and this percentage increased to 6.7% in 2010. Of great concern is the forecasted number of children who are to be obese by the year 2020: an estimated 9.1% or 60 million children worldwide 4. Moreover, given that childhood obesity has been shown to track into adulthood 5, 6 and has been lined with significant health-related conditions and psychological effects 7, obesity prevention is imperative. Understanding the determinants of obesity is crucial for informing and developing effective prevention efforts, which should be based on a scientific understanding of the multiple and complex risk factors for obesity. The etiology of obesity is multifaceted; there are factors from multiple contexts, and interactions between factors that led to obesity are not yet well understood 7. Indeed, a comprehensive approach is needed to potentially reverse the global pandemic of obesity 7, 8.
Affenito et al. (Sun,) studied this question.