Although Americans reduced spending on food during the Great Recession, the prevalence of overweight and obesity continued to increase. This article uses socioeconomic life course models to organize the issues surrounding obesity, striving to illustrate how community, social, and intergenerational factors, compounded over the course of a lifetime, increase risk, particularly among poor, minority, and otherwise under resourced communities. Conceptualizing obesity within life course models informs policy recommendations, practice, and guides future research. Social workers are called to respond with collaborative approaches to create accessible and affordable community food environments where the default option is the healthy, preferred choice.

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