Cambodia has made significant progress in rebuilding its health system since the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, which ended political isolation and allowed international support. With collaboration between national and international organizations, parts of the health service have been revitalized, and a transition to long-term development has begun. The new royal government, supported by WHO experts, has taken steps to re-establish a viable health system. Despite challenges such as a decimated health workforce, low funding, and limited managerial capacity, Cambodia has rapidly developed health policies, coordination mechanisms, and strategies to increase funding and improve the use of non-governmental health practitioners. The Ministry of Health has led civil service reforms, gaining respect from international organizations, which are optimistic about Cambodia's potential to establish a sustainable health system within a decade. However, much remains to be done to ensure a minimum package of primary health care for all Cambodians. Health services need to reduce dependence on external donors and ensure long-term sustainability by developing indigenous financing methods. While foreign technical skills are available, Cambodian health professionals need to learn from regional experiences. The national health development plan for 1994-6 is ambitious, acknowledging the significant health needs of the Cambodian people. In Britain, clinical obesity has doubled in the past decade, with the Health of the Nation initiative setting ambitious targets to reverse the trend. While it is generally assumed that obesity is due to gluttony, evidence suggests that a high-fat diet may override normal satiety mechanisms. However, average energy intake has declined, implying a faster decline in physical activity. Evidence indicates that modern inactive lifestyles are at least as important as diet in the aetiology of obesity. Recent epidemiological trends suggest that environmental or behavioural changes are the primary causes of the problem, as obesity rates are increasing in a relatively constant gene pool. The primary causes of obesity are likely environmental or behavioural changes affecting large sections of the population. The evidence implicating gluttony shows that a high-fat diet may contribute to obesity, but the evidence implicating sloth suggests that reduced physical activity is a significant factor. The paradox of increasing obesity despite decreasing food intake can only be explained by a faster decline in energy expenditure. The hypothesis that exceptionally low levels of physical activity in certain subgroups may be as important as dietary factors in the development of obesity has been confirmed by a study of Finnish adults. The analysis suggests that public health strategies must target both reducing dietary fat and avoiding physical inactivity to reverse the current trends in obesity.Cambodia has made significant progress in rebuilding its health system since the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, which ended political isolation and allowed international support. With collaboration between national and international organizations, parts of the health service have been revitalized, and a transition to long-term development has begun. The new royal government, supported by WHO experts, has taken steps to re-establish a viable health system. Despite challenges such as a decimated health workforce, low funding, and limited managerial capacity, Cambodia has rapidly developed health policies, coordination mechanisms, and strategies to increase funding and improve the use of non-governmental health practitioners. The Ministry of Health has led civil service reforms, gaining respect from international organizations, which are optimistic about Cambodia's potential to establish a sustainable health system within a decade. However, much remains to be done to ensure a minimum package of primary health care for all Cambodians. Health services need to reduce dependence on external donors and ensure long-term sustainability by developing indigenous financing methods. While foreign technical skills are available, Cambodian health professionals need to learn from regional experiences. The national health development plan for 1994-6 is ambitious, acknowledging the significant health needs of the Cambodian people. In Britain, clinical obesity has doubled in the past decade, with the Health of the Nation initiative setting ambitious targets to reverse the trend. While it is generally assumed that obesity is due to gluttony, evidence suggests that a high-fat diet may override normal satiety mechanisms. However, average energy intake has declined, implying a faster decline in physical activity. Evidence indicates that modern inactive lifestyles are at least as important as diet in the aetiology of obesity. Recent epidemiological trends suggest that environmental or behavioural changes are the primary causes of the problem, as obesity rates are increasing in a relatively constant gene pool. The primary causes of obesity are likely environmental or behavioural changes affecting large sections of the population. The evidence implicating gluttony shows that a high-fat diet may contribute to obesity, but the evidence implicating sloth suggests that reduced physical activity is a significant factor. The paradox of increasing obesity despite decreasing food intake can only be explained by a faster decline in energy expenditure. The hypothesis that exceptionally low levels of physical activity in certain subgroups may be as important as dietary factors in the development of obesity has been confirmed by a study of Finnish adults. The analysis suggests that public health strategies must target both reducing dietary fat and avoiding physical inactivity to reverse the current trends in obesity.