Obesity & Overweight Health Epidemic
Obesity & Overweight Health - Worldwide
Problem
Obesity and overweight is an escalating global epidemic - "globesity"
- and is taking over many parts of the world. If immediate action is not
taken, according to WHO, millions will suffer from an array of serious
overweight health disorders.
Obesity & Overweight Health - Developing
Countries
Obesity is a complex condition, one with serious social and psychological
dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and
threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries. In 1995,
there were an estimated 200 million obese adults worldwide and another
18 million under-five children classified as overweight. As of 2000, the
number of obese adults has increased to over 300 million. Contrary to
conventional wisdom, the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized
societies; in developing countries, it is estimated that over 115 million
people suffer from obesity-related problems. Generally, although men may
have higher rates of overweight, women have higher rates of obesity.
Obesity & Overweight Health - Economic
Impact
In collaboration with the University of Sydney (Australia), WHO is calculating
the worldwide economic impact of the overweight and obesity epidemic.
It is also working with the University of Auckland (New Zealand) to analyse
the impact that globalization and rapid socioeconomic transition have
on nutrition and to identify the main political, socioeco-nomic, cultural
and physical factors which promote obesogenic environments.
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