UNITED NATIONS: The UN World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday revealed in a recent global medical study that approximately one in eight people worldwide are grappling with obesity, equating to roughly one billion individuals in 2022.
This number has surged over the years, doubling among adults and quadrupling among five to 19-year-olds since 1990, as per data published in The Lancet, a prominent UK-based medical journal.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the necessity of prevention and management efforts from early life to adulthood through interventions like diet, physical activity, and appropriate care.
The study also indicated that 43 percent of adults were overweight in 2022, with Europe witnessing obesity and overweight as leading causes of death and disability.
Obesity escalates the risk of various noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases. Furthermore, overweight individuals have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing more severe illness and complications.
WHO highlighted that obesity is a factor in at least 13 different types of cancer, contributing to around 200,000 new cancer cases annually in Europe alone. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages are crucial for sustainable development.
Countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were predominantly island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean, as well as those in the Middle East and North Africa.
Member States adopted the WHO acceleration plan to combat obesity at the 2022 World Health Assembly, with 31 governments currently implementing the plan. Core interventions include promoting breastfeeding and regulating the marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to children.
Dr. Francesco Branca, one of the study’s co-authors and Director of WHO’s Nutrition and Food Safety Department, highlighted the significant challenges in implementing policies to ensure affordable access to healthy diets and create environments conducive to healthy lifestyles. —APP
