Throughout history, obesity and overweight have been underestimated as public health problems in Latin America and the Caribbean. Both conditions are on the rise in the region, however, although this is difficult to measure, given the fact that the studies that have been carried out are not very representative. For many years, the harm to health from these conditions was overlooked. And even when it became apparent, it was viewed as an issue that was valid only in other socioeconomic contexts, and it was seen as insignificant or less important than protein-energy malnutrition and other nutritional deficiencies specifically linked to poverty ... The book is the product of an editorial endeavor that aims at defining the problem of obesity and establishing its particular features in the region, as well as its trends and determinants; it also highlights the most promising research efforts and activities for the near future