More than 1 billion people worldwide will be living with obesity by 2022, according to a study published in the Lancet. Over the past 20 years, obesity among adults has doubled and quadrupled in children and adolescents (5-19 years of age). According to the data, 43% of adults in 2022 will be overweight.
According to the study, although undernutrition rates have declined, it remains a public health challenge in many parts of the world, especially in South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2022, island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean, as well as those in the Middle East and North Africa, were the countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity.
Malnutrition can take many forms, including undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins and minerals, obesity, overweight, and malnutrition in general. Half of the deaths of children under five result from undernutrition, and obesity can result in noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers.
Global Health Observatory has also disseminated the full dataset of this study, which was collected and analyzed by WHO.
According to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, this study highlights the importance of prevention and management of obesity, from early childhood to adulthood, through diet, physical activity, and appropriate care. Governments and communities must work together in conjunction with WHO and national public health agencies to meet global targets for curbing obesity. In addition, it requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be held accountable for the health impacts of their products.
Obesity is a complex chronic disease. The causes are well understood, as well as the interventions needed to contain the crisis, both of which are well backed by evidence. However, these interventions are not implemented. During the World Health Assembly in 2022, Member States adopted the WHO Acceleration plan for preventing obesity, which supports country-level action through 2030. In order to curb the obesity epidemic, 31 governments have implemented the plan to date.
Interventions include:
Supporting healthy practices from day one, including the promotion, protection, and support of breastfeeding;
Food and beverage marketing regulations aimed at protecting children from harmful marketing;
School food and nutrition policies, including initiatives to regulate the sale of products high in fats, sugars, and salt near schools;
Promotion of healthy diets through fiscal and pricing policies;
Policy on nutrition labeling;
Healthy diet and exercise education and awareness campaigns;
Physical activity standards in schools; and
The integration of obesity prevention and management services into primary care.
“There are significant challenges in implementing policies aimed at ensuring affordable access to healthy diets for all and creating environments that promote physical activity and overall healthy lifestyles for everyone,” stated Dr Francesco Branca, Director of WHO’s Nutrition and Food Safety Department and one of the co-authors of the study. “Countries should also ensure that health systems integrate the prevention and management of obesity into the basic package of services.”
To reduce food insecurity, improve access to clean water and sanitation, and ensure universal access to essential nutrition interventions, multisectoral action is necessary in agriculture, social protection and health.
