Grounded in a holistic anthropological approach and using a range of ethnographic and ecological case studies, Obesity shows that the human tendency to become and stay fat makes sense in terms of evolved human inclinations and the physical and social realities of modern life. It addresses such questions as why obesity is defined as a problem and why some groups are so much more at risk than others, and suggests ways that anthropology and other social sciences can use community-based research to address the serious public health and social justice concerns provoked by the global spread of obesity.