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According to the report, more than one billion children, adolescents and adults worldwide live with obesity, making obesity the most common form of malnutrition in many countries. analysis It was published in The Lancet magazine on Thursday.
This alarming statistic was achieved faster than expected, largely due to the rapid transition from underweight to obese malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries, said senior author of the analysis and professor at Imperial University. said Dr. Majid Ezzati. College London said at a press conference on Thursday.
previous Estimate A study by the World Obesity Federation predicts that one billion people will be living with obesity by 2030, but that number will already be exceeded by 2022, Ezzati said.
“We’re really surprised at how quickly things happened,” he said.
The new global analysis was conducted by more than 1,500 researchers from around the world. Linking risk factors for non-communicable diseases And that whoanalyzed the height and weight measurements of more than 220 million people in more than 190 countries.
Our analysis focused on the following proportions: underweight and obesity, both forms of malnutrition are harmful to people’s health. Adults were classified as obese if their body mass index (BMI) was greater than or equal to her 30, and as underweight if their BMI was less than her 18.5. Children and adolescents were defined as obese or underweight based on age and age-specific gender criteria, according to the study.
“Undernutrition and obesity are two sides of the same coin: lack of access to a healthy diet,” Dr. Francesco Branca, WHO director of nutrition and food safety, said at a press conference.
According to the analysis, approximately 880 million adults and 159 million children Obesity rates among children and adolescents worldwide have quadrupled from 1990 to 2022, and obesity rates among adults have more than doubled.
“It is very worrying that the obesity epidemic that was evident among adults in many parts of the world in 1990 is now being reflected in school-age children and adolescents,” Ezzati said in a news release. stated in the release.
While obesity rates have increased in most countries, the number of people affected by underweight has decreased. Analysis shows that obesity rates now exceed underweight rates in two-thirds of countries around the world.
This change is most pronounced in low- and middle-income countries, particularly Polynesia and Micronesia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa. Analysis shows these countries now have higher obesity rates than many wealthy developed countries.
Island nations are Tonga, American Samoa, Nauru According to the analysis, the prevalence of obesity was highest in 2022, with more than 60% of the adult population living with obesity.
“Until now, we have thought of obesity as a problem for the rich. Obesity is a world problem,” Branca said.
Ezzati said researchers were surprised that none of the developed countries except the United States topped the list of countries with the highest obesity rates in 2022. He said this was a big change from 2017. WHO last conducted a similar global operation obesity analysisThe results showed that the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom were in the top category for obesity prevalence.
“What this shows is that this transition is very rapid. We can’t wait to eliminate underweight to address obesity,” Ezzati said.
Branca said this obesity transition is the result of a rapid restructuring of food systems around the world that is not controlled by public policy.
“The reason the epidemic is spreading so rapidly is because policy measures are not sensitive enough,” he said. “It has relied on changes in behavior; [solutions] It does not address the structural elements of food and environmental policy. ”
Obesity and underweight coexist in many countries and need to be addressed in parallel through “dual-duty” policy interventions that address both forms of malnutrition, he said.
Blanca said these policies include promoting and supporting breastfeeding, taxing sweetened drinks, regulating the sale of food to children, and providing nutritious food in schools and other public institutions. That’s what it means. He added that investments in agricultural reform, urban design and primary health care can support these policies.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said: “Governments and local communities, supported by evidence-based policies from WHO and national public health agencies, need to be able to get back on track to achieving global obesity goals.” “Efforts are needed,” he said. In a news release. “Importantly, we need the cooperation of the private sector, and the private sector must be held accountable for the health impacts of its products.”
Branca said public policy should strengthen oversight of food manufacturers and aim to ensure everyone has fair access to healthy and nutritious food. He said more than 3 billion people around the world still cannot afford to eat healthy food.
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“One of the roles of policy is to get people healthy before they become wealthy,” Ezzati said.
To support these policies, WHO, in partnership with other organizations such as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, has announced the following framework: Global action plan on child waste And that Obesity Prevention Acceleration Plan.
Experts also highlighted policy changes around the world that have led to promising results. FranceThe country, whose analysis showed obesity rates had plateaued, implemented a national plan called . Program National Nutrition Sante Set goals for nutrition policy at industry, consumer, and research levels.
South American countries are beginning to introduce nutrition labels on the front of the package, including clear warnings about fat, sugar and salt levels. Mexico Leading the way in taxing sweetened beverages; Chileprocessed foods cannot be sold to children, Branca said.
“Community interventions that integrated healthy eating and promotion of physical activity were particularly effective,” he says.
