Obesity is generally caused by consuming more calories – particularly those in fatty and sugary foods – than you burn off through physical activity. The excess energy is stored by the body as fat.
Obesity is an increasingly common problem because for many people modern living involves eating excessive amounts of cheap, high-calorie food and spending a lot of time sitting down, at desks, on sofas or in cars.
Balanced diet and balanced way of living is the key to reducing the obesity level and having control over our own destiny.

The target should be mothers of young children, since they control to a large extent what the family eats (or is available to eat). Once kids hit grade school, peers become highly influential, so good habits early are critical.

Be more specific about the nature and cost of the product and I can comment.

I don't know what type of product you have but prevention would start with healthy eating habits in the home. The excess consumption of high fructose corn syrup, sugar, convenience foods, and a culture that celebrates dining out makes obesity prevention very difficult.

I'm sorry, but obesity is perpetuated by a lot of enabling by family and society. I am aware of 500 pound plus individuals who could not get out of their home but maintain or gain weight. It's not like they went for a walk and got 10 Happy Meals. Someone supplied them with the food. As long as such "behavior" is rewarded, we are not in a position to revverse obesity trends.

Sounds like the core meaning of obesity, based on your product; is more about proper meal prepping and nutritional timing. I hope I understood that. So my only question is how would define obesity and why would you and/or business want to prevent it?
For me, I agree with you that obesity is a worldwide issue and it would take any company a long while to reverse obesity as it's primary solution. If I were creating some in-house, consumer product I would look at the long-term, specific results. One is the prevention as well as the decrease in obesity in the most known parts of the nation where that state has to say 50% of the general population suffering from a real obesity epidemic.
But my main solution (WHY) would be to start at my own personal cure. Obesity comes first or is obesity a side-effect?
I would look at mental health, Inflammation, activity as my top three and based on my research and what your background is, go from there and find a short-term solution that aligns with decrease obesity in time.
great question~

I reaize this is a complex issue and one tied to socioeconomic status and felt needs. My opinion, therefore, may seem insensitive and unwelcome in this intercahnge. Nevertheless, at least in the United States, there is a disconnect between behavior/status and consequences. When there are no personal consequences of behavior/status and costs of health care, there are no incentives beyond self-interest/destruction to modulate the ratio of calories taken in and burned. Education may help, but I believe obesity is in part a moral issue. Individuals' behavior affect every one else in society and should be considered accordingly. Is there no shame? Is it OK for me top drive drunk? Once upon a time, obesity was considered abberant (granted, not always appropriately). Today obesity is accepted as just another condition.

What needs to be established is why The Obesity Epidemic is occuring globally. So it is not just one culture (you own culture) but it is a diverse array. Of course there are multiple factors/drivers that are involved. Here are some examples:

• Sedentary lifestyle. Kids are are about as active as 60 year olds in recent reports.
• Large serving sizes (greatly increased in recent decades)
• Increased consumption of processed foods
• Eating out vs cooking at home

All of these play a role BUT are they the main drivers in the GLOBAL EPIDEMIC? If you travel enough you will see that all do not apply, or not as much as they do in the USA which is sadly leading the way. That leads us to the obvious conclusion, that is there is soemthing missing in the equation. Something that is operating globally to produce this outcome. What is that missing piece of the puzzle? It is the fat drugs - which are antibiotics.
Society adopted the widespread use of antibiotics at the time when the obesity epidemic started. And if you are old enough or red back to the original instructions they were sued in both kids and farm animals to promote growth. In the meat industry the use of antibiotics as Growth Enhancers is so widepread that it dwarfs clinical use. But guess what we get them on the back side when we eat the meat. How do they create obesity? By causing a dysbiosis - altered microbiome that affects metabolism, nutrient absorption/utilization and systemic inflammation.
I will provide some additional links for additional review and information, but the essence of commerce is that you will not get a remarkably beneficial product until you include a primary focus on correcting the dysbiosis. Indeed based on results with curing C. difficile infections in hospital the easiest and most cost effective way will be to do fecal transplantations, where you adopt the microbiome of a lean person.
So to combat obesity, globally, you must include a central correction of a disturbed gut bacterial flora. Without that, the core driver remains and you will not get optimal results.
https://www.bebee.com/producer/@mark-miller-texas/the-obesity-epidemic-was-inadvertently-sparked-by-a-nobel-prize-discovery
https://vimeo.com/213290282
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Did-a-Nobel-Laureate-spark-the-obesity-epidemic

Much has not changed, and obesity remains a behavioral conundrum in the real-world marketplace. Solutions and support exist, application and sustainability remain elusive.
Many lessons from tobacco cessation apply to obesity problem.

Other factors are:

• Availibility of high caloric products
• Lack of drinking water at some places (public schools for example)
• Advertising and marketing strategies from producers
• Product´s sale price

In terms of your product... Think about who your target will be?

I reaize this is a complex issue and one tied to socioeconomic status and felt needs. My opinion, therefore, may seem insensitive and unwelcome in this intercahnge. Nevertheless, at least in the United States, there is a disconnect between behavior/status and consequences. When there are no personal consequences of behavior/status and costs of health care, there are no incentives beyond self-interest/destruction to modulate the ratio of calories taken in and burned. Education may help, but I believe obesity is in part a moral issue. Individuals' behavior affect every one else in society and should be considered accordingly. Is there no shame? Is it OK for me top drive drunk? Once upon a time, obesity was considered abberant (granted, not always appropriately). Today obesity is accepted as just another condition.

From a massive perspective I believe food and beverages global companies must invest more in rising awareness and preventive measures among population if not we should support regulators to go on putting more restrictions either fiscal or any other type to reduce the impact of selling and marketing strategies of the suppliers.

Obesity is a problem with many different causes.
Environment, Education, Food Industry, Advertising, Government Regulations (FDA), Parenting & Family, Increased Social Acceptance, Social Settings, Financial Situation, Friends, Schools, Kindergarten, Food Availability, Tradition, Religion, Ethnicity, Increased Isolation, Reduced Resilience, Reduced Physical- Emotional- Mental- and Inspirational Energy. Limitations of Movement through several factors like: increased crime, reduced living space, increased screen time, budget cuts for community and school programs etc.
If the world seriously would want to tackle obesity, we would need to start putting life in any form and shape first.

I'm not sure what products might prove useful, but seen in terms of "stages of change" individuals must see their obesity as a problem that they are interested in preventing or changing. I suspect many folks do not see it as a problem for themselves or their families.

I think that a comprehensive approach for obesity prevention must to be taken in consideration.
To realize real strides, though, positive change must come to all parts of society: from governments and schools, businesses and non-profit organization, neighborhoods and communities, individuals and families. We need to change policies and create an environment where the default option is the healthy choice.

I feel we can control the obesity if we become more aware of our health, I conduct Osho meditations and provide guidance on how to live a balanced life, some of the recommendations for losing weight are as following:

• Start intermediate fasting, it is very good for your health, it can even reverse the diabetic 2.
• move on to more organic proteins and green leafy vegitables
• Drink water
• Do atleast 30 to 60 minutes exercise everyday
• Stop eating sugars and carbs
• have 8 hours sleep
• be happy and enjoy the life. Dance, Sing and be with yourself and meditate

You will see the change, "you can only change yourself and start from physical then go to mental and spiritual level. One more thing sometime if you are mentally and emotionally disturbed and do not know how to balance then it will impact your weight also. So you need to take care of physical, mental and spiritual side.

If you like i can help you, please feel free to reach me.

I think there is no way to prevent it because people just want to be obese. All food diets are not necessary, what you really need is simplicity. Divide the day into a number to intervals, rigidly follow it every day until it becomes a habit. What you need is an optimum rhythm as opposed to a hockey stick. Make sure that the flow of operations is not interrupted and is controlled as intended and you will be just fine. Follow rules such as:

• Never mix different protein in the same meal (eggs, cheese, meat, fish, etc.). Use one protein at a time and have as many different protein in a week. Different digestive juices in contact with each other will nullify each other’s effectiveness;
• Do not eat fruit with any other food;
• Never drink liquids with or immediately following a meal. You can sip very slowly to clean your mouth, but not a gulp of one glass;
• Increase breakfast, lunch portions to sustain a 3 hours period of digestion;
• Try not to eat later then 7 PM to allow restful sleep;
• Never consume E added artificial stuff;
• Never use products such as off-the-shelf sauces. Instead rely on simple ones such as salt and herbs;
• Use only natural sweets. You can use refined sugar occasionally, but remember it slows you down and affects the whole manufacturing process.

Why read so much blurb about diet and then pass over the obvious, leaping toward highly sophisticated concepts and principles. Simplicity is key.

Whether it's prevention or remission it's the same strategy. Fixating on food without uncovering the underlying psychological cause is a proven failed strategy. Most people know how to lose weight but they don't do it. In most cases people suffer from obesity because their are hidden psychological gains by being overweight. Often times it could because they where bullied by friends or family members as a child or on a subconscious level they want to fit in with other obese family and friends.

An exercise I recommend for transformation is to list the drawbacks of being obese, then list all the benefits of it. It's counter intuitive to list benifits but in most cases obesity doesn't happen if there are not some conscious or subconscious benefits to it. Dig deep! Once all the benefits are uncovered then make a list of alternatives to gain those same benefits without the need for eating junk & being obese. As an example: If you where bullied when young and feel that being big helps you defend yourself then go take a martial arts class instead! If you feel you need alcohol to sleep or reduce stress then, try herbal tea with a table spoon of apple cider vinegar, and a tea spoon of honey instead! Another alternative would be to sit in a hot sauna and drink lot's of water.

If you want to take people through this transformative process then I recommend attending "The Breakthrough Experience" by John DeMartini where he takes people through this process live and gives you the tools to do it yourself. I used this technique to eliminate alcohol consumption. In the past it was a challenge to take 30 day breaks. I did it each year with will power. After this exercise it was virtually effortless to stop for over 90 days because I had a list of alternatives that gave me all the benefits of drinking. It's the same process for any unhealthy habit. It's incredibly effective!

Target: Children. Parents are greatly influenced by what their children will, or will not eat. This is shown in market data as well as in my own parental shopping. Marketing to children has greatly influenced what they choose to consume. If we can alter the choices children are making, they will persuade (Ha! Or, perhaps nag is a better word) their parents to change their purchasing patterns. Plus, most parents are present when their children are seeing advertisements, in turn indirectly marketing to parents as well.

Obesity prevention is a very complex problem which needs to be addressed at all levels (parents, schools, physicians) so I'm happy to see the input that everyone has provided regarding solutions. It has so many aspects to it that make it so much more difficult to fix but if we can teach our kids the basic essentials of maintaining a healthy body weight and life style, I think some of these problems will be corrected.

We definitely live in a society of abundance and with the onset of big box stores providing larger amounts of food at lower prices, we are fighting the ongoing battle of quantity vs. value. I don't think we saw such extreme cases of obesity as we have in the last 20 yrs. Portion sizes have been steadily increasing over the years to the detriment of the public.

Obesity prevention products should address:

1) Cultural and demographic areas are more affected than others. ie. low income, low education areas are more susceptible to obesity. Focus help and education should be on the entire family not just the children.

2) Portion sizes have increased over the years so improved portion size labelling on food products may be helpful since "serving size" in small print on the back label just doesn't cut it. It has to be larger and more prominent.

3) School lunch programs that incorporate healthy and tasty food options instead of providing fried foods which only help the bottom line.

4) Quality ingredients that provide nutrients instead of sugars, fats and chemicals that add nothing except calories and shelf life...

There are many great programs, pills, exercises and so forth that will work in preventing obesity. But coming from a family of obese people but having never been more that 10-15 lbs overweight myself I can tell you that no program, pill or even operation works until you fix the thoughts in your brain. The reason programs work is because the person finally believes in something enough to change their thinking causing the obesity. In the Bible is a story of a woman who had an issue of blood 12 years and spent all her money on doctors who couldn't heal her. However, when she heard of people being healed by touching Jesus' robe she did so and was healed because she believed. He also just said, "be healed" and some were healed where others he had them do something before they could be healed. It comes down to what you believe will actually heal you. If you believed someone who said drinking carrot juice with a worm would stop the re-occurrence of obesity it would work but you have to believe you can do it.

When I first became married at 22 years I put on 35 lbs the first 4 months and knew I was on track to be like the rest of my family so I watched what other guys ate who were the size I wanted to maintain and couldn't believe they actually ate only one plate of food when I ate 3. For 2 years I suffered hunger pangs until they finally went away then stayed at 195 lbs most of my life. Whether that was the plan for me or not, it was what I believed would work for me and it did. Find a program you can believe in and do it... it will work.

Middle aged western europeans. We need thd most help!

Depends on your product, I think for maximum profit efficancy the most money to be made on obesity prevention is not actual fat people but people afraid of being fat, as they are more likely to spend money. You want people who were thin in high school but have since put on weight so they know it is possible. Well, obese people who have always been obese have learned to with it

I look forward to hearing more about your product!

Need to understand product concept, targeted benefits and potential MSRP. In the US I would focus on the mid West / central US vs. the coasts.

in the USA the optimal target is children and mothers there is a strong correlation with human behavior and obesity so motivated people becomes a critical element forging good or better eating and drinking habits are valuable

A few additional thoughts- If one aproaches this in the context of 'Stages of Change," individuals need to first accept that there is a problem. They can be informed that excess boddy fat infuences longevity, balance ad falls, and functional independence.

The customers for Obesiy prevention products will be those who are very busy n day to day life with one or other official or household work and are not able to exercise properly to burn out the fat. Also, due to busy schedule people tend to consume processed food which are rich in carbohydrate and fats. This leads to Obesity. The percentage of obese people in the U.K, Europe, USA and India are quite high so this could be the target market for obesity prevention product.

One answer. All the above. Obesity is more of a condition rather than a disease which will escalate the chances of other lethal diseases. Not only over eating but under eating can also lead to metabolic disorders. Each and every issue right from knowledge of obesity to parenteral nutrition should be strictly considered.

Designing something that prevent one from being obese is much more preferable, as curing of obesity takes lots of effort and time. And also success factor for curing obesity is relatively low.

This is nothing more than a sugar isssue, plain and simple. Fat cannot be manufactured by our system absent an excess of glucose.

The whole population should be the target, We have to remember the risk factors that needs to be addressed, It is easier to prevent obesity if we start as early as possible, and to have the correct notion of being healthy especially in children

The problem with obesity can either be the end result from a variety of factors or the side effect. Some of the contributing factors for obesity is heredity, eating to many high calorie foods, too much of a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise (technology could be seen as a contributing factor to this). For example, more people are sitting down in front of a computer for 4- 8 sometimes 12 hours a day with very little movement other than getting up to eat breakfast, lunch or dinner, depending on what type of job they are doing and it that job includes shift work. (working 7a-3p, 3p-11p, 11p-7a, or 12 hour work day). Working a rotating schedule or working steady night shift will and cause some people to be less active in order to attempt to get more sleep due to the rotating schedule. This could cause people to eat and drink more fast food and more sugary/caffeine rich foods/drinks to counteract their sleepiness or sluggishness. The United States has an abundance of processed foods and access to many fast food restaurants. We are in a society built on convenience and "I'm always in a hurry" to do things or to get somewhere (work, school, take kids to sports practice) that it leaves the average American very little time to take care of themselves. As we age it is harder to get to a gym or workout, there is less time to eat healthy. More people are allergic to foods now than in the 1970's or 1980's. This could be caused by GMO's to make growing food faster and more abundant. Today there are more organic foods, more fitness centers, more food allergies, more diseases, more medicines, more vaccines, more technology, more pollution. All could be a potential cause of obesity. Yet many people are becoming obese while less are becoming healthy. More healthy living needs to be promoted by Doctors, other healthcare providers, the food industry, and by the company's who employee workers. Some people become obese due to having several physical injuries that cause them to be bedridden for months on end. For some of these people that can fully recover or mostly recover can lose the excess weight and be healthy again. For some who end up with chronic pain and physical disabilities this obesity struggle could last a lifetime even with exercise (physical therapy, nutrition counselling, a support system of family and medical professionals).

i think one of the target groups to market a product designed to reverse or curb obesity is the teenage age and early adulthood. that age range is very susceptible to peer pressure, therefore if one person is gotten on the band wagon, it is almost guaranteed that other people would be too. if i read correctly, clinical trials have already been carried out and results show that the product postively affects eating habits in children, then similar trials should be carried out using the teenage population cutting across all socio-economic levels of the community and see the results. as much as i agree to a certain extent that mothers should be the target, but i think that mothers hardly have time for home cooked meals these days, what with the pressure of work and balancing home life. Therefore, its easier to walk with teenagers and early adults.

Obesity is caused by an uncontrollable urge to eat food. Many people are unaware of the fact that these urges can stem from psychological factors, such as abuse, neglect or any other kind of trauma.
When a person gains weight due to overeating, their self-esteem declines, which gives a boost to negativity and urges the individual to comfort himself or herself with more food, forming a vicious cycle.
To overcome comfort eating, you need to get to the root of the problem. And, for this, consider seeking professional support from psychotherapists who can understand and treat your problem at a deeper level.

Replace fast food with truly healthy options available just as fast. Get rid of all the chemicals. Require companies to list their addictive ingredients.

Customers should reward innovators who deliver healthy solutions.

Meditation by experienced medical personel may help in reducing the weight in many patients.

No magic bullets for curing obesity. Eat less, exercise more, and understand your medical genetic profile early in life to set the course for high quality of life. It is hard to reverse bad habits and years of bodily neglect when you get to certain age points. Teach your children choices matter, Ood ones will keep you healthy to a point, and bad choices will reduce your life and the quality of your life, and of course, set the best example you can for them.

The key to dealing with obesity in many instances id self discipline. Obesity can be handled through several methods, some easy and some quite challenging. In my opinion, the biggest challenge is staying fit.

Start as early as possible, educate parents and carers of children about obesity prevention among children by having healthy lifestyle and by example. Educate and encourage children to have good eating habits and lifestyle. Increase awareness. Consume food in moderation.
Sometimes parents are so obsessed to have "cute" children which means children on the heavy side.
The stigma of not getting the proper nutrition is always associated with being on the lean side, but being obese is not.

Traditional Italian food, like the Mediterranean diet in general, is perceived as healthy. Extra-virgin oil or nuts reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.[1] In addition, children get socialized to spend adequate time for eating, not so much in the morning, but for supper and dinner. Eating slower is not only more healthy for the human body, but it is interlinked with culture, as taking time for the food means paying tribute to it. This interprets into that Italian consumers not only use more time for eating, but also for sourcing the ingredients and preparing the dishes. Fresh local meat and vegetables are preferred. The healthy habits get completed by up to 32 paid days off a year, and an efficient public healthcare system. So it is no surprise that Italy is one of the countries with the highest life expectancy.[2]

[1] Miller, Lee J. / Lu, Wei (2019): “These Are the World’s Healthiest Nations”
[2] World Health Organization (fetched 28.2.2019): “Italy”

Getting our obesity and overweight epidemic under control will involve more than just telling everyone to go on a diet. The World Health Organization says it requires an integrated approach that includes:

• Promoting healthy eating habits and encouraging exercise
• Developing public policies that promote access to healthy, low-fat, high-fiber foods
• Training healthcare professionals so that they can effectively support people who need to lose weight and help others avoid gaining weight

Probably target the health insurance companies. The problem is too complex for one product or solution but at least with payers involved you set up a carrot type reward system for obtaining and maintaining a weight in a healthy range. Food producers are key problem but they have conflict of interest and would not be reliable partner in reducing obesity. At least with insurers they have a vested interest because at a healthy weight the risk for many high cost health issues goes down. By sharing that cost savings with the insured you create a win/win scenario.

The roots of the problem are sedentary life, poor food supply, portion control, and many other factors of modern society. Huge problem.

The problem with obesity is that is a multifactorial disease and should be addressed from different angles. As you said prevention is the key, however, the majority of the solutions are life-style changes, so it is difficult to translate this into a product for customers, because most of these changes are totally the contrary, I mean, come back to the era of our grandparents and forget processed food, cars, ...

Obesity some times comes with low self-esteem. Not only physical appearance is important for self-esteem, but also attitude. I would suggest to use methods that improve boths, attitude and physical appearance that increase self-esteem and if it can add fun to the process, that is perfect. An I have the perfect answer for this is to try pole sport/dance!!

This is an uncommon opportunity with which I want to wish all members of this panel a HAPPY NEW YEAR !

It has been a great pleasure and honor working with all of you