title: Public health and obesity:  the role of the district nurse.
abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) (2012) estimates that half a billion adults in the world are classified as obese. This article outlines initiatives that could be undertaken by district nurses to reduce the prevalence of obesity and improve the statistics relating to morbidity and mortality from obesity-related conditions. As district nurses already have a complex caseload, the initiatives discussed by the author are simple enough to be incorporated into the assessments and health screening already being undertaken.
authors.affiliation: Staffordshire ans Stoke on Trent Partnership Trust, UK. lynn.sellwood@nhs.net
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sellwood
mesh_terms: D003152:Community Health Nursing; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011634:Public Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology