Different paths towards obesity:

Exploring the causes of obesity including the paradox food insecurity – obesity

Abstract

Malnutrition has been associated with food scarcity and undernutrition, but in recent years the concept has expanded to include overnutrition. In the last six decades the number of people overweight and obese skyrocketed, but the
causal paths remain difficult to understand. A revision of a range of works published in Medline was carried out in order to contextualize the obesity debate. Obesity prevalence soared in the last decades and a myriad of factors have been scrutinized in this text, including the paradox food insecurity – obesity. By contrast,
social and political scientists contest whether the obesity issue is more an aesthetical and moral panic than a true public health crisis, like presented by the World Health Organization. Above all, the criticisms are directed to the official narratives of obesity prevention and aim to impact on public policies.