Despite the threat of shorter lifespan for the first time in generations, Australian policy
makers remain reluctant to protect our children from increasing levels of obesity. Yet the
reasons for this crisis and the need to act, especially on the aggressive marketing of energy-
dense food and drink, are both well understood. The World Health Organization has
provided an action plan to translate evidence into action, 1 and a narrative review in this
issue of the MJA sets out clearly the scale and nature of the problem and what can be done …