Obesity and its linked morbidity and mortality is a significant public health challenge on a global scale and places a burden not only on the individual but also on society as a whole. This Mini-Guide presents key themes relating to this challenge, including the means of measuring obesity, the most recent prevalence and trends, the health consequences and causes of obesity along with approaches to counter obesity both at an individual and a population level. ..useful for anyone preparing a presentation or policy on the topic. Reviewed by Nerys Williams on behalf of Occupational Medicine, January 2015 Understanding is facilitated through: Case Studies Boxed examples Thinking Points Summary Points at ends of chapters. Links to webpages, resources and further reading. The Public Health Mini-Guides provide up-to-date, evidence-based information in a convenient pocket-sized format, on a range of current key public health topics. They are designed to support the work of health and social care practitioners and students on courses related to public health and health promotion.