Obesity and overweight represent a significant healthcare burden, with increasing numbers of individuals suffering from the ill effects of these conditions globally. A complex interplay of socioeconomic, biological and cultural factors determine the risk of developing obesity and often exacerbate its metabolic effects downstream. The aim of PLOS Medicine's Special Issue on the determinants, consequences, prevention and treatment of obesity is to showcase research that contributes to our evolving understanding of how obesity affects our health and wellbeing.
In this month's Editorial, Guest Editor Sanjay Basu and Senior Editor Adya Misra discuss some of the published research in the special issue, highlighting the challenges and potential solutions to combat the rising tide of obesity.
Image Credit: TeroVesanlainen, Pixabay
Editorial
From genetics to bariatric surgery and soda taxes: Using all the tools to curb the rising tide of obesity
PLOS Medicine: published July 31, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003317
Perspectives
Can self-imposed prevention measures mitigate the COVID-19 epidemic?
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003240
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Research Articles
Participation in adherence clubs and on-time drug pickup among HIV-infected adults in Zambia: A matched-pair cluster randomized trial
PLOS Medicine: published July 1, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003116
Development of a polygenic risk score to improve screening for fracture risk: A genetic risk prediction study
PLOS Medicine: published July 2, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003152
Healthy behaviors at age 50 years and frailty at older ages in a 20-year follow-up of the UK Whitehall II cohort: A longitudinal study
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003147
Associations of substance use, psychosis, and mortality among people living in precarious housing or homelessness: A longitudinal, community-based study in Vancouver, Canada
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003172
A simplified, combined protocol versus standard treatment for acute malnutrition in children 6–59 months (ComPAS trial): A cluster-randomized controlled non-inferiority trial in Kenya and South Sudan
PLOS Medicine: published July 9, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003192
Evaluation of systems reform in public hospitals, Victoria, Australia, to improve access to antenatal care for women of refugee background: An interrupted time series design
PLOS Medicine: published July 10, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003089
The association of skin autofluorescence with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality in persons with chronic kidney disease stage 3: A prospective cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published July 13, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003163
Detection rate and treatment gap for atrial fibrillation identified through screening in community health centers in China (AF-CATCH): A prospective multicenter study
PLOS Medicine: published July 16, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003146
Carrying out embedded implementation research in humanitarian settings: A qualitative study in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
PLOS Medicine: published July 16, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003148
Efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis
PLOS Medicine: published July 16, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003121
Consistent sleep onset and maintenance of body weight after weight loss: An analysis of data from the NoHoW trial
PLOS Medicine: published July 16, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003168
Tracing and analysis of 288 early SARS-CoV-2 infections outside China: A modeling study
PLOS Medicine: published July 17, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003193
Opportunistic screening for atrial fibrillation by clinical pharmacists in UK general practice during the influenza vaccination season: A cross-sectional feasibility study
PLOS Medicine: published July 17, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003197
Age-specific sequence of colorectal cancer screening options in Germany: A model-based critical evaluation
PLOS Medicine: published July 17, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003194
Health and cost impact of stepping down asthma medication for UK patients, 2001–2017: A population-based observational study
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003145
Impact of self-imposed prevention measures and short-term government-imposed social distancing on mitigating and delaying a COVID-19 epidemic: A modelling study
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003166
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Temporal trends of the association between ambient temperature and hospitalisations for cardiovascular diseases in Queensland, Australia from 1995 to 2016: A time-stratified case-crossover study
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003176
Polygenic risk score for obesity and the quality, quantity, and timing of workplace food purchases: A secondary analysis from the ChooseWell 365 randomized trial
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003219
Effect of supplemental nutrition in pregnancy on offspring’s risk of cardiovascular disease in young adulthood: Long-term follow-up of a cluster trial from India
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003183
The role of polygenic susceptibility to obesity among carriers of pathogenic mutations in MC4R in the UK Biobank population
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003196
Association of smoking with abdominal adipose deposition and muscle composition in Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) participants at mid-life: A population-based cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published July 21, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003223
Incidence and prevalence of primary care antidepressant prescribing in children and young people in England, 1998–2017: A population-based cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published July 22, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003215
Smoking, alcohol consumption, and cancer: A mendelian randomisation study in UK Biobank and international genetic consortia participants
PLOS Medicine: published July 23, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003178
Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the GoActive intervention to increase physical activity among UK adolescents: A cluster randomised controlled trial
PLOS Medicine: published July 23, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003210
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Probability of sepsis after infection consultations in primary care in the United Kingdom in 2002–2017: Population-based cohort study and decision analytic model
PLOS Medicine: published July 23, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003202
The global burden of disease attributable to high body mass index in 195 countries and territories, 1990–2017: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003198
Predicting obesity reduction after implementing warning labels in Mexico: A modeling study
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003221
Association of bariatric surgery with all-cause mortality and incidence of obesity-related disease at a population level: A systematic review and meta-analysis
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003206
Estimation of SARS-CoV-2 mortality during the early stages of an epidemic: A modeling study in Hubei, China, and six regions in Europe
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003189
Obesity, clinical, and genetic predictors for glycemic progression in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: A cohort study using the Hong Kong Diabetes Register and Hong Kong Diabetes Biobank
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003209
Changes in the amount of nutrient of packaged foods and beverages after the initial implementation of the Chilean Law of Food Labelling and Advertising: A nonexperimental prospective study
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003220
Neonatal outcome in 29 pregnant women with COVID-19: A retrospective study in Wuhan, China
PLOS Medicine: published July 28, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003195
Corrections
Correction: The Kidney Failure Risk Equation for prediction of end stage renal disease in UK primary care: An external validation and clinical impact projection cohort study
PLOS Medicine: published July 24, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003313
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Correction: National and regional prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
PLOS Medicine: published July 24, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003312
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Correction: Quantification of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity by spectrophotometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis
PLOS Medicine: published July 24, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003311
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Correction: Modelled health benefits of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax across different socioeconomic groups in Australia: A cost-effectiveness and equity analysis
PLOS Medicine: published July 29, 2020 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003310