Obesity is a very complicated disease and there is no simple cause or cure. Obesity refers to weight gain that occurs when the body takes in more calories than it burns. These excess calories then become fat, leading to weight gain. There are many factors that determine the onset of obesity. An important factor is sociocultural factors. Today's society plays an important role in how we view food and influences our decisions about meal choices. In today's society, meals are prepared to be quick and easy, often high in fat, sugar, salt and calories and devoid of nutritional value. Television and advertising also focus on unhealthy food choices, luring children with colorful marketing and toys or games. Furthermore, society has also succumbed to a somewhat sedentary or lethargic lifestyle. Physical activity is in decline, and the relationship between reduced exercise and weight gain has been shown to be an important factor in obesity. Many jobs require you to sit in the same place in front of the computer for much of the day; Children often sit for hours watching television or playing video games instead of engaging in physical activities or sports. This results in weight gain because people don't exercise enough to burn the calories they consume. Society is now much lazier as a whole, resorting to a more convenience-based lifestyle, including using escalators instead of stairs and driving instead of walking. Often people choose fast food options simply based on convenience and low cost. However, many of these foods are pre-packaged, extremely harmful, and also contain no servings of fruit or vegetables. Metabolism and genetics are also factors to consider when it comes to obesity. Obesity tends to run in families, but... middle of paper... obesity. Creating programs that help increase awareness and education in regions where obesity is prevalent, such as minority populations or those with low socioeconomic status, is important for progress. Research should also be conducted on intervention methods at community and school levels to promote healthy lifestyle changes in society as a whole (NHLBI). It is also important to collect data on how exercise affects weight loss and what measures are needed to keep weight at a safe level, thus helping to prevent obesity. Genetic factors may also play a role in obesity risk and this should be further studied in order to develop a potential treatment (NHLBI). There are many indications that can reveal a risk of obesity, it is important to identify them and create a plan on how to best use this information for prevention (NHLBI).