[Italian eating behavior: survey 2011]

Obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century for the European region. The concept of personal responsibility affected social, legal, and political approaches to obesity. It evokes blame and weakness of the individual, and it is a leading basis for inadequate government efforts, given the importance of environmental conditions in explaining high rates of obesity. It is needed not only to gain a correct understanding of the progress of the epidemic but also to evaluate preventive initiatives that are progressively introduced. As part of the social, health and agri-food production in the country, knowledge of dietary habits and lifestyle of the population in real time is a valuable resource. The data from ADI-Nestlé Observatory confirmed that it is unfair to say that poor diet and sedentary behaviour are individually responsible for obesity-related health burden in Italy, but both factors need to be improved and addressed through structural political and social structural measures.