According to the WHO, obesity in children and adolescents has quadrupled in every 30 years

Obesity now affects more than a billion people worldwide, including children and adolescents, according to an estimate published Friday. A disaster that does not only concern rich countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that more than one billion people worldwide are affected by obesity. He is one in eight people on earth. The World Health Organization did not envision crossing this threshold before 2030, but the latest figures published on Friday, March 1 in the medical journal lancet,

Covering 190 countries, it shows that obesity is increasing faster than expected, especially in low-income countries.

Overall, obesity rates among adults have doubled over the past 30 years. More worryingly, obesity in children and adolescents has quadrupled during this period. “We used to see obesity as a problem for the rich, Experts say, But now we see that it is a global problem.”

WHO considers this increase in obesity to be an increasing form of malnutrition. Often, malnutrition is associated with being “underweight” with a lack of food. The study also effectively shows that in Eritrea or Ethiopia, for example, one in five adults is underweight. But overall, the proportion of undernourished and underweight adults in the world has more than halved over a 30-year period. Now there are more overweight people than underweight people in most countries of the world.

This condition is accompanied by increased mortality due to other pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. To effectively combat these two forms of malnutrition, WHO emphasizes, it is urgent to improve access to affordable, healthy and nutritious food for all, especially as climate change and wars increase food risks.

There is no miracle solution

On this problem of obesity, France ranks among the 50 countries in the world with the lowest percentage. In our country, 17% of adults are obese and 4% of children and adolescents are too. This chronic disease that weighs on life expectancy should be better managed through prevention and lifestyle habits, a top health authority suggested this week. Unfortunately, there is no miracle solution, HAS recalls. Bariatric surgery should only be done as a last resort.