(1)Impact and costs are estimated and measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) across full
2014 population in the United Kingdom. For full methodology, download the McKinsey Global
Institute (MGI) discussion paper Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis, on mckinsey.com.
(2 )Based on the evidence rating system of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.
Source: Literature review; expert interviews; McKinsey Global Institute analysis
Only a systemic, sustained portfolio of anti-obesity initiatives, implemented on a large scale will be
sufficient to overcome rising obesity. No single group in society – government, retailers, consumer
goods companies, restaurants, employers, media organizations, educators, healthcare providers, or
individuals – can offset rising obesity on their own. Yet efforts to address obesity have been
piecemeal thus far. To date, there have been pockets of excellent interventions delivered around the
world, but there's been insufficient attempt to take an integrated view on what it will really take to
reduce the public health burden across the board. Moreover, the global debate on how to respond
has become polarized, and in some cases deeply antagonistic – partly because the response required
is so complex, and spread across such a range of actors in society. This is proving a barrier to
progress.