Obesity 'epidemic' hits more than one billion people globally, rate quadrupled in 32 years: Study
Recent research reveals that more than 1 billion people worldwide are grappling with obesity, a staggering figure that highlights a fourfold increase in obesity rates among children over a 32-year period. This comprehensive analysis, drawing from weight and height measurements of over 220 million individuals across 190 countries from 1990 to 2022, sheds light on the evolution of body mass index (BMI) globally.
Conducted by approximately 1,500 researchers in collaboration with the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration and the World Health Organization (WHO), the study, published in The Lancet, underscores the alarming trends. It unveils a fourfold surge in obesity rates among children and a doubling among adults during the study period.
For girls worldwide, the obesity rate soared from 1.7% in 1990 to 6.9% in 2022, while for boys, it escalated from 2.1% to 9.3% over the same timeframe. Obesity, defined in adults as having a BMI greater than or equal to 30kg/m², witnessed a significant rise globally, from 8.8% to 18.5% for women and from 4.8% to 14% for men.
Simultaneously, the prevalence of underweight individuals dwindled for both children and adults, positioning obesity as the predominant form of malnutrition across numerous nations worldwide. The proportion of underweight children and adolescents decreased by approximately one-fifth in girls and over one-third in boys, while the proportion of underweight adults more than halved over the same period.
Alarmingly, a total of 880 million adults and 159 million children were living with obesity in 2022, with Tonga, American Samoa, and Nauru topping the list of nations with the highest obesity rates, surpassing 60%.
In terms of rankings, the UK placed 87th highest globally for obesity rates among women and 55th for men.
Prof Majid Ezzati, the senior author of the study, expressed deep concern over the epidemic of obesity, noting that what was once prevalent among adults has now infiltrated school-age children and adolescents worldwide.
Prof Ezzati emphasized the urgent need to address both forms of malnutrition, advocating for substantial improvements in the accessibility and affordability of healthy, nutritious foods.
Echoing these concerns, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, highlighted the imperative of collaborative efforts from governments, communities, and the private sector to reverse the trajectory of obesity. He underscored the necessity of evidence-based policies, emphasizing the accountability of the private sector for the health impacts of their products.
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