More than a billion people around the world suffer from obesity. The number of obese adults has doubled since 1990. The number of overweight children has quadrupled since then.
In most countries, obesity is now a bigger problem than malnutrition, according to research by the World Health Organization.
“We used to see obesity as a problem for the rich,” says Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition and Food Safety at the World Health Organization. “But now obesity has become a global problem.” Obese people are more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.
The researchers studied data from more than 220 million people from 190 different countries. The study is a collaboration between the World Health Organization and an international group of researchers. It was published in the scientific journal The scalpel.
The increase in obesity rates is highest in low- and middle-income countries, for example in the Caribbean and the Middle East. In some European countries, the number of overweight people has begun to stagnate or decline.
While obesity has increased significantly since 1990, underweight is decreasing. The number of underweight girls decreased by 20 percent. For boys, this represents a 33 percent decrease. The number of underweight adults has halved since 1990.
Overgewicht en obesitas
- We spreken van overgewicht bij een BMI van 25 tot 30.
- Bij een BMI vanaf 30 is sprake van obesitas.
- Je berekent je BMI door je gewicht in kilo’s te delen door het kwadraat van je lichaamslengte in meters. Ook kun je online je BMI laten berekenen, zoals op de website van het Voedingscentrum.
Imperfect measuring tool
The research uses body mass index (BMI) as an indicator. A BMI over 30 is considered obesity.
According to the researchers, it is an “imperfect” measurement system. BMI does not take into account factors such as fat percentage, but is calculated based on body weight.
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