What else can be done?

Dieting is a $66 billion industry, but studies show the vast majority of dieters quickly gain back the weight they lose—and sometimes more. Broader lifestyle interventions are required. In Amsterdam, overweight kids are referred to a nurse who helps them and their families identify healthier habits. Between 2012 and 2015, Amsterdam’s population of overweight youth dropped 12 percent. Japan, the least obese country, is even more paternalistic, requiring overweight adults to attend diet classes. Americans bristle at any government intervention in their eating habits, such as “sin taxes” on sugary beverages. Yet when Philadelphia imposed such a tax in 2017, it saw a 38 percent drop in sales. In the meantime, obesity is brutally pricey from the crib to the grave: A wider cemetery plot, reinforced hearse, and plus-size casket can add $3,000 to the cost of a funeral.