The Public Health Agency (PHA) has highlighted obesity as one of the most pressing public health trials for Northern Ireland, with current data revealing that one in five children and over two-thirds of adults are living with overweight or obesity. While frequently framed as a matter of individual choice, health officials are stressing that the issue is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as housing, transport, education, and access to affordable food and green spaces.

To combat this, the PHA is championing a "Whole Systems Approach." This strategy acknowledges that no single individual or organisation can resolve the obesity crisis in isolation. Instead, it requires a coordinated effort across various sectors of society—including health services, local councils, employers, schools, and transport providers—to reshape the environments that influence daily health decisions.

In practice, this approach involves:

• Designing policies and services that make healthy options the most accessible choice.

• Synchronising decisions across different sectors like planning, education, and housing.

• Tackling the underlying causes of obesity, such as social disadvantage and environments that restrict healthy choices. • Moving the public discourse away from personal blame and toward prevention and shared responsibility.

Emily Roberts, Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery and AHP at the PHA, stated: "A Whole Systems Approach is essential to improving population health and reducing health inequalities – it recognises that no single organisation, policy or individual action can solve the issue on its own. Instead, it focuses on how different parts of society work together – from local councils and health services to planners, transport providers, schools, employers and community organisations – to influence everyday health."

She further noted that vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected by these issues, with inequalities stemming from birthplaces, ethnicity, and employment status. By addressing the economic and social factors that impact weight throughout a person's life, the PHA aims to create fairer, healthier communities.

The importance of this systemic shift is echoed by those with lived experience, such as Fiona Quigley, who has lived with obesity since childhood. Sharing her perspective on why this change is necessary, she said: "I have lived with obesity from a very young age, and I've seen that what I have experienced isn't just personal – it reflects the world around us."