Obesity is linked to a higher risk of a range of serious health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers. It’s a growing problem in the U.S, as well as the rest of the world, as new research reveals that over a billion people globally are now considered obese.
For the study, researchers with the World Health Organization analyzed height and weight measurements for more than 220-million people five years old or older in 190 countries. They used body mass index (BMI) to identify people as obese or underweight. The results show:
- The total of obese people worldwide includes about 880-million adults and 159-million children.
- The U.S. has the 10th highest rate of obesity in the world for men and 36th highest for women.
- The countries with the highest obesity rates are Tonga and American Samoa for women and American Samoa and Nauru for men, as between 70- and 80% of adults there are obese.
- The rate of obesity in children has quadrupled since 1990, while rates for women have more than doubled and rates for men have nearly tripled in that time.
- In the same amount of time, the number of people struggling with being underweight has dropped, making obesity the most common form of malnutrition in most countries.
“In the past, we have been thinking of obesity as a problem of the rich,” Francesco Branca, head of nutrition at the World Health Organization, said in a press conference. “Obesity is a problem of the world.”
Source: Talker
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