O besity is a complex chronic disease in which abnormal or excess body fat (adiposity) impairs health, increases the risk of long-term medical complications and reduces lifespan. 1 Epidemiologic studies define obesity using the body mass index (BMI; weight/height 2), which can stratify obesity-related health risks at the population level. Obesity is operationally defined as a BMI exceeding 30 kg/m 2 and is subclassified into class 1 (30-34.9), class 2 (35-39.9) and class 3 (≥ 40). At the population level, health complications from excess body fat increase as BMI increases. 2 At the individual level, complications occur because of excess adiposity, location and distribution of adiposity and many other factors, including environmental, genetic, biologic and socioeconomic factors (Box 1). 11 Over the past 3 decades, the prevalence of obesity has steadily increased throughout the world, 12 and in Canada, it has increased threefold since 1985. 13 Importantly, severe obesity has increased more than fourfold and, in 2016, affected an estimated 1.9 million Canadian adults. 13 Obesity has become a major public health issue that increases health care costs 14,15 and negatively affects physical and psychological health. 16 People with obesity experience pervasive weight bias and stigma, which contributes (independent of weight or BMI) to increased morbidity and mortality. 17 Obesity is caused by the complex interplay of multiple genetic, metabolic, behavioural and environmental factors, with the latter thought to be the proximate cause of the substantial

Background: Rising levels of obesity coupled with the limited success of currently available weight control methods highlight the need for investigation of novel approaches to obesity treatment. This study aims to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an Internet-based resource for obesity management.

Despite the explosion of obesogenic environment research within the last decade, consensus on what constitutes the very environment we are trying to measure has not yet been reached. This presents a major challenge towards our understanding of environmental research for obesity, and the development of a desperately needed contextualized evidence base to support action and policies for curbing this epidemic. Specifically, we lack the application of a cohesive definition or framework, which creates the potential for confusion regarding the role of the environment, misinterpretation of research findings and missed opportunities with respect to possible avenues for environmentally based interventions. This scoping review identified primary studies and relevant reviews examining factors related to body mass index, diet and/or physical activity with respect to the obesogenic environment. Using a comprehensive framework for conceptualizing the obesogenic environment, the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO), we identified 146 primary studies, published between January 1985 and January 2008, that could be characterized according to the dimensions of ANGELO. Gaps in the literature were clearly identified at the level of the macro-environment, and the political and economic micro-environments, highlighting key areas where further research is warranted if we are to more fully understand the role of the obesogenic environment.

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