Obesity rates likely to double by 2030 with highest increases in lower-income countries
New global estimates indicate that more than a billion people worldwide will have obesity by 2030, which is twice the number recorded in 2010. Unfortunately, no country is on track to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of halting obesity by 2025, and the number of people affected is predicted to rise drastically over the next eight years. Specifically, the number of people with obesity is expected to triple in low-income countries compared to 2010. The figures are from the fourth World Obesity Atlas, which was published by the World Obesity Federation.
The rise in obesity has been fastest in low- and middle-income countries. The highest rates of obesity are found in North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and the numbers of people with obesity in Africa are expected to triple, with more women affected than men. The report also states that obesity was a major contributor to Covid-19 deaths. Almost a quarter (22%) of preventable deaths from non-communicable diseases in Africa are attributed to being from overweight.
Dr. Adelheid Onyango, from the WHO’s regional office for Africa, noted that undernutrition remains a significant problem across the continent, but the growing problem of obesity cannot be ignored. The region has weak policies and regulatory systems concerning processed, high-fat, and sugary foods, which contributes to the problem of obesity.
The World Obesity Atlas also ranked countries in terms of their preparedness for obesity, including their health systems. High-income countries are the most prepared, while lower middle- and low-income countries are the least prepared, increasing concerns about the impact of obesity on already vulnerable populations.
More than 150 health experts and advocates have written to health ministers calling for an international action plan to tackle obesity. The World Obesity Federation’s chief executive, Johanna Ralston, said political and health leaders must recognise the severity of the situation and take decisive and people-centred action to address the issue.
Read MoreWHO: Obesity in Europe at ‘epidemic proportions’
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe has released a report warning that obesity rates in the European Region have reached “epidemic proportions.”
The report states that the number of adults and children who have overweight or obesity is increasing, with 59% of adults and nearly one in three children affected. The report also highlights that no country in the European region is currently on track to halt the rise of obesity by 2025. Early studies from some countries showed that the prevalence of having overweight or obesity increased in children and teenagers during the pandemic.
The report highlights meal delivery apps as a potential contributor to the obesity problem, as they may encourage sedentary behaviour. The use of these apps was accelerated during the pandemic when people were advised to stay at home. The report recommends policies to ensure that restaurants that are required to display nutrition information also do so on apps. It also suggests that, where applicable, meal delivery companies be classified as food businesses to be held accountable in the same way.
The report finds that obesity and overweight are responsible for more than 1.2 million deaths across the region each year. Kremlin Wickramsinghe, ad interim head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, called for the attention of the highest level of governments during a briefing, highlighting that obesity is linked to at least 13 different types of cancer and is likely directly causing at least 200,000 new cancer cases every year in the region. In some countries, the report predicts that obesity will overtake smoking as the leading risk factor for preventable cancer in the decades ahead.
The WHO report warns that if action is not taken to address the issue, the burden of obesity-related illnesses and the associated healthcare costs will continue to rise, placing significant strain on healthcare systems and national budgets.
Read MoreScant obesity training in medical school leaves doctors ill-prepared to help patients
Published in NPR, “Scant Obesity Training in Medical School Leaves Doctors Ill-Prepared to Help Patients” highlights the lack of obesity education in medical schools, leaving doctors unprepared to help patients with obesity. According to the article, only about 25% of U.S. medical schools require a course on nutrition and only about half require a course on obesity. The article argues that this lack of training leads to missed opportunities for doctors to help patients manage their weight and can result in patients not receiving the care they need. It also notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has only magnified the need for medical professionals to be equipped to address obesity, as people with obesity are at higher risk for severe illness from the virus.
Read MoreHigher obesity levels linked to lower productivity in England, research shows
Published in The Guardian, “Higher obesity levels linked to lower productivity in England, research shows” discusses the findings of a new study that shows a correlation between obesity levels and lower productivity in England. The study found that people with obesity tend to miss more work days due to health issues and are less productive when they are at work, leading to a loss of economic output for the country. The article notes that the findings of the study have implications for both employers and policymakers, as addressing obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles could lead to improved health and increased productivity for the workforce. The article also highlights the need for comprehensive programs and policies aimed at reducing obesity levels and improving overall health in England.
Read MoreTaxing sugary drinks may not cut obesity as much as headlines claim
An article published in New Scientist titled “Taxing sugary drinks may not cut obesity as much as headlines claim” examines the impact of taxing sugary drinks on obesity rates. The article cites studies that have shown that taxing sugary drinks has had limited success in reducing obesity rates, as consumers often turn to other sources of added sugar, such as snacks and desserts. The article notes that while taxing sugary drinks may be a step in the right direction, it is not a silver bullet solution to the obesity epidemic, suggesting instead that a comprehensive approach to reducing obesity is needed, including changes in government policies, increased access to healthy food, and increased physical activity. It concludes by stating that while taxing sugary drinks may have some impact on reducing obesity, it is not a complete solution, and additional efforts are needed to address the issue.
Read MorePicture warnings on fizzy drinks? A promising tool to fight childhood obesity
A study published in the journal PLOS Medicine is the first to examine whether pictorial health warnings on sugary drinks, like juice and fizzy drinks, influence whether or not parents purchase these types of beverages for their children.
The study’s results found that these warnings reduced parental purchases of sugary drinks for their children by 17%.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health ran the study in a unique laboratory by creating the “UNC Mini Mart”. This space was set up to mimic a convenience store and simulate a realistic setting for a shopping experience.
“We created this store because we saw a major need for research that tests the impact of policies in a food store setting that is much more realistic,” said senior author Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the Gillings School and a member of UNC’s Carolina Population Center (CPC). “When people make choices about what food to buy, they are juggling dozens of factors like taste, cost, and advertising and are looking at many products at once. Showing that warnings can cut through the noise of everything else that’s happening in a food store is powerful evidence that they would help reduce sugary drink purchases in the real world.”
Taillie’s and her co-authors’ positive findings about the effects of image-based warning labels highlight a recent approach to combating the global struggle with obesity. Children in the United States and many other countries, including the UK, consume more than the recommended amount of sugary drinks, which increases their risk for obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases, including Type 2 diabetes.
Taillie has conducted research on warning labels and taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and junk food in Chile, Mexico and South Africa. Marissa G. Hall, PhD, one of the study’s co-authors, researches the impact of warnings on tobacco and food as well as effectiveness of obesity prevention policies.
In their study, 326 parents of children between the ages of 2 to 12 years old participated in a randomised trial with 1) a pictorial warning arm (in which drink labels had images representing heart damage and Type 2 diabetes), and 2) a control arm (in which drinks labels displayed a barcode).
Participants were instructed to choose one drink and one snack for their child, along with one household good, the latter being added to the shopping list to potentially mask the purpose of the study. After shopping, participants completed a survey about their selections and left with their drink of choice and a cash incentive.
The picture warnings led to a 17% reduction in purchases of sugary drinks, with 45% of parents in the control arm buying a sugary drink for their child compared to 28% in the pictorial warning arm.
The warnings also reduced calories purchased from sugary drinks and led to parents feeling more in control of healthy eating decisions and thinking more about the harms of sugary drinks.
“We think the paper could be useful for policymakers in the U.S. and globally,” Hall says. “This evidence supports strong, front-of-package warnings to reduce sugary drink consumption in children.”
Read MoreIrish government steps up plans to tackle nation’s growing obesity crisis
The Irish government has stepped up its plans to tackle the nation’s growing obesity crisis through the establishment of a task force that will look at the ways saturated fat, salt, sugar and calories can be reduced in processed food that is prevalent in Ireland.
Along with the task force a ‘Roadmap for Food and Product Reformation in Ireland’ was also published by the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and the Minister of State for Public Health Frank Feighan.
Mr Donnelly highlighted the links between diet and non-communicable diseases and noted that it was “particularly evident in economically disadvantaged areas, where people tend to eat more processed food”. He also suggested that the new task force would work with the food industry “to combat inequality by improving the quality of the food available”.
Mr Feighan suggested that modern lifestyles were having a negative impact of people’s health and said that people were “living very busy lives and it’s not always easy, even with the best of intentions, to eat or buy the healthiest option”. He then suggested that the task force and road map were “important and positive steps forward for all of our health and wellbeing and will help to improve the nutritional quality of the processed food available to consumers and will have tangible benefits for public health”.
The Food Reformulation Task Force will sit within the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and will provide “a dedicated resource to work with all levels of industry to ensure progress and to address the difficulties that may arise in the highly technical process of reformulation”. FSAI chief executive Dr Pamela Byrne said the reformulation of foods has been proven to have a “positive impact on the quality of the diet and reducing salt, sugar and saturated fats in food products will positively contribute to a healthier population”. She said the FSAI would be engaging “with the food industry and other stakeholder” over the next four years.
The move comes as more retailers and producers move to make their products less harmful.
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