Obesity, and its health-related sequelae (the metabolic syndrome), have recently emerged as a global health crisis. The prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in economically developed and developing countries world-wide has more than doubled over the past decade. While genetic factors, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, and overnutrition have all been cited as important components of the obesity crisis, recent epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that developmental factors--especially those that occur in utero and during early postnatal life--play a significant role in the pandemic. Research into the 'developmental origins of health and disease' (DOHaD) has now firmly established that pre- and perinatal developmental perturbations which predispose to obesity in adult life can result from a variety of factors, including both nutritional surplus and deficiency, and there is growing evidence that these physiological traits can be passed on epigenetically to subsequent generations. Anthropological perspectives regarding the developmental origins of obesity and its related health problems cannot only shed further light on contemporary ethnic human health disparities, but can offer unique insights into the relevance of the developmental origins of disease to community-based public health interventions.