Epocrates, Inc. today announced the results of the "2007 Obesity Report," a nationwide survey of physicians on public health issues and the increasing rate of obesity in America. The results exposed that physicians -- often the "front line" of health -- consider obesity to be the single largest public health crisis in the United States, and that there are varying opinions as to who is primarily responsible and what can be done to address the issue.

Although Americans have always tried to win the "battle of the bulge," the obesity problem has recently become one of our country's most talked-about health issues. Today, 52 percent of physicians believe that more than half of their patients are overweight. According to nearly 90 percent of physicians, this percentage has increased in the past five years despite greater attention on the issue. Physicians are striving to make a difference, however more than 40 percent of the respondents stated that they are not addressing the subject with all of their patients.