At least one in eight people now obese, warns WHO

A complex chronic disease, obesity has become a crisis, unfolding in epidemic proportions that reflect a stark rise over the past few decades.

At least one in eight people on Earth are living with obesity, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, citing a newly released global medical study.

 That’s one billion people who lived with the disease in 2022, a number that has doubled among adults and quadrupled among five to 19-year-olds since 1990, according to data from the study, published in The Lancet, a renowned United Kingdom-based medical journal.

 “This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood through diet, physical activity and adequate care, as needed,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, which contributed to the study.

Global targets to curb obesity

A complex chronic disease, obesity has become a crisis, unfolding in epidemic proportions that reflect a stark rise over the past few decades.

While the causes are well understood, as are the evidence-based interventions needed to contain the crisis, the problem is that they are not implemented, according to the UN health agency.

“Getting back on track to meet the global targets for curbing obesity will take the work of governments and communities, supported by evidence-based policies from WHO and national public health agencies,” the UN health chief said.

It also requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be accountable for the health impacts of their products, he added.

The study’s data also showed that 43 per cent of adults were overweight in 2022.

Deadly consequences

In the Europe, overweight and obesity are among the leading causes of death and disability, with estimates suggesting they cause more than 1.2 million deaths annually, according to WHO’s regional office.

Obesity increases the risk for many noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases. Overweight people and those living with obesity have been disproportionately affected by the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, often experiencing more severe disease and other complications, the UN health agency said.

It is considered a cause of at least 13 different types of cancer, likely to be directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually across Europe, according to WHO.

 

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