The Lancet published an international study on the rise in obesity in children, adolescents, and adults involving over a billion people. The NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) study sheds light on the rapid rise of obesity, the world’s most common malnutrition.
Over 1500 researchers and practitioners worldwide, including LSHTM and Imperial College London experts, found a 4-fold increase in childhood and adolescent obesity from 1990 to 2022. The growth in adult rates has more than doubled, which has become a worldwide health issue with ramifications.
Professor Martin Mckee, LSHTM’s head, said that if the microbe can withstand present medical technologies, we may not be improving. He linked rising obesity to the food business and called for a holistic approach to agriculture policies and trade agreements that prioritise health.
The study found that Pacific, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and North African island nations will have the greatest percentages of combined underweight and obesity in 2022. Country-specific statistics show the problem is worse. Adult obesity in the UK has skyrocketed from 13.8% in 1990 to 28.3% for women and 10.7% to 26.9% for men by 2022. Obesity rates among children and teens have also grown.
While the obesity pandemic is as severe in the US, overweight female adults climbed from 21.2% in 1990 to 43.8% in 2022 and overweight male adults from 16.9% to 41.6%. However, obesity rates among American children and adolescents have peaked, requiring the worldwide community to act quickly and collaboratively to address this health catastrophe. The report calls on the world to collaborate and reorient obesity policy to create a healthier, more resilient population.
