Obesity is a complex problem and blah blah blah insert standard disclaimers here, but I think there are two things that, combined, contribute significantly to t

Obesity is a complex problem and blah blah blah insert standard disclaimers here, but I think there are two things that, combined, contribute significantly to the problem: 1. Food is cheap 2. Most people enjoy eating food Solutions include: Make food more expensive (tax it) or alter peoples' sense of hunger. The latter is actually not infeasible. There are drugs that decrease appetite. Another idea takes some explaining: I think obesity has quite a bit in common with smoking. The biggest difference is that people need food to survive. Still, the solution to decreasing smoking could work on obesity. Smoking used to be quite popular, but today it isn't nearly as socially acceptable. In most places in the US, cigarrettes are taxed in both currency and social cost. Jokes at a smoker's expense are acceptable. It's not uncommon for friends or coworkers of smokers to suggest they quit. The same is not true for obesity. Mocking fat people is considered rude. Suggesting they cut down on certain foods is also a delicate matter. An excuse for this taboo is that many fat people can't help it. They were born with genes that caused their metabolisms to run slower, or they feel hunger more strongly than average. But the same is true for many smokers. Their genes make them more susceptible to nicotine, or cause them to feel cravings more strongly than average. Yet we allow poking fun at smokers. So while this suggestion won't be popular, I think it would be effective: Society needs to treat fatties more like smokers. If you see an overweight person doing something that will most likely increase their weight, picture them as they will be in 20 years: dying from diabetes and heart disease. Vision failing, fingers and toes pale from poor circulation. Possibly even missing a few digits. A premature death; an under-lived life, lacking many experiences healthy people take for granted. They never went rock climbing or surfing. Their extra weight causes them frequent back and joint pain. Think of all that suffering, and think of how you have an opportunity to prevent it. You probably won't be thanked for it, but you might very well save someone's life. (I'm only half-joking in that last paragraph.)