According to a recent Lancet study, more than 1 billion people globally would be struggling with obesity in 2022. Global obesity rates have quadrupled among children and adolescents (ages 5 to 19) and more than doubled among adults since 1990. Furthermore, in 2022, 43% of persons were overweight.
Even though undernutrition rates have declined, it is still a serious public health issue, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. The regions with the greatest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were found to be island nations in the Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa.
Undernutrition (such as wasting, stunting, and underweight), insufficient vitamin or mineral intake, and overweight and obesity are all examples of malnutrition. Half of all pediatric deaths are caused by undernutrition, but obesity is associated with noncommunicable disorders like diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and some types of cancer.
The Global Health Observatory currently has access to the entire dataset, which was compiled and analyzed with assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO). The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressed the need of preventing and controlling obesity from childhood to maturity via optimal nutrition, exercise, and care.
Even with knowledge about the causes of obesity and practical treatments, putting them into practice is still difficult. Adopted by Member States at the World Health Assembly in 2022, the WHO Acceleration plan intends to end obesity by 2030. Currently, 31 governments are spearheading the plan’s implementation.
Implementing school food regulations, controlling the marketing of harmful foods and beverages to children, encouraging healthy practices from an early age, using financial incentives to support good diets, and strengthening public awareness campaigns about healthy lifestyles are some of the key treatments.
The Director of the Nutrition and Food Safety Department of the World Health Organization, Dr. Francesco Branca, emphasized the importance of including obesity treatment and prevention within basic healthcare services. In order to address undernutrition, a multimodal strategy involving the agricultural, social protection, and health sectors is needed to increase food security, access to hygienic conditions and clean water, as well as everyone’s availability of vital nutrition interventions.
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