Obesity is emerging as a health epidemic around the world. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is rapidly spreading across all regions and demographic groups. An estimated 97 million adults in the United States are overweight or obese.​That figure represents more than 50% of the American adult population. ​​Of this group, 11 million adults suffer from severe obesity. Obesity is an excess of total body fat, which results from caloric intake that exceeds energy usage.

Closer to home, 64.3% of Queenslanders are overweight or obese. 60.5% of the Toowoomba region are in the overweight or obese category. *
*Yearbook 2017, Progress in Australian Regions, Australian Government, Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development, and Cities.

A measurement used to assess health risks of obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI). The American Obesity Association reports that obese individuals have a 50-100% increased risk of death as compared to normal weight individuals, with 300,000 to 587,000 deaths each year. This substantial increase in health risks has made obesity the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. 

For over 12 years, Dr. Evan Willingham has served Toowoomba and the Darling Downs. He is Toowoomba's first general surgeon to specialise in weight loss surgery related to obesity.