A disease classification or not - obesity is a health crisis that needs addressing now, the new president of the Australian Medical Association says.
Dr Tony Bartone said debate around obesity's classification is complex with no right or wrong answer but, above all, the "epidemic" needs attention at all levels of society.
"It doesn't need to be labelled as a disease to be treated seriously right now," he told AAP on Friday.
"Whether it is or isn't, isn't the issue. It is an epidemic. (It) is a crisis."
Dr Bartone believes there should be a patient-to-patient treatment approach rather than a one-size-fits-all disease classification.
His comments come as the Queensland AMA's new president, Dr Dilip Dhupelia, said he plans to call on the state's health minister, Steven Miles, to fight for obesity to be classified as a chronic disease.
Dr Dhupelia wants the Palaszczuk government to get moving on its Healthy Futures Commission, a body created last year to tackle obesity and diabetes.
He suggests there needs to be a change in the treatment of obesity and a refresh of the campaigns to prevent what is an $8 billion health problem in Queensland.
"We've been using the same tactics and people have tuned out," Dr Dhupelia told AAP on Friday.
With treatment, both Dr Bartone and Dr Dhupelia both agreed obesity needs a holistic approach with mental health taken into account.
