Obesity, which occurs when fat accumulates in the body, is itself a disease, but it is also an important risk factor for other diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Our lifestyle and dietary habits (physical inactivity, processed foods, stress, etc.) have contributed to the increase in obesity. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers obesity as a worldwide epidemic conditioned mainly by the food and physical activity profile.

 The incidence of this disease grows in both developed and developing countries. According to WHO 2015 data, 1.6 billion people in the world were overweight, that is, they comprise 20% of the world population. Among these people, 400 million are already at the stage of obesity. In Brazil, about 48% of the population is overweight and 15% is obese.

The Ministry of Health defined guidelines for organizing the prevention and treatment of obesity in the SUS, being reviewed in 2012, addressing the issue in a more decisive way. The following year, the Ministry of Health established the line of care for obesity as part of the Health Care Network for People with Chronic Diseases.