International cooperation key to reversing global obesity epidemic
Baku, October 29 (AZERTAC). Since 1980, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has more than doubled worldwide. The statistics are staggering: in 2008, 1.5 billion adults were overweight and nearly 1 in 10 were obese. The health consequences are enormous -- obesity is a leading cause of global mortality. More than 2.8 million adults die each year as a result of being overweight or obese. In all, 44 percent of the world`s diabetes burden, 23 percent of the death and disability from cardiovascular disease and between 7 and 41 percent of certain cancers are attributable to overweight and obesity. As a result, 65 percent of the world`s population lives in a country where overweight and obesity kill more people than hunger and under-nutrition. [1] Although once considered conditions of affluence, overweight and obesity are now on the rise in low- and middle-income countries. As a result, these nations are now facing the double burden of infectious and chronic diseases.
In 2010, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), of the world`s 43 million overweight children, almost 35 million live in developing countries, compared to 8 million in developed countries. This is particularly alarming, given that childhood obesity is associated with a host of health consequences, including Type II diabetes, respiratory conditions such as asthma, hypertension and mental health concerns. In addition, obese and overweight children face an elevated risk for premature death and disability when they reach adulthood. Even in countries with relatively low adult obesity rates, childhood obesity is rising dramatically. For example, Italy, where 42.9 percent of the adult population is overweight (among the thinnest adults in the industrialized world), 35.9 percent of children ages 8-9, are overweight -- among the highest rates in the world based on available data.
What is causing this alarming surge in global obesity? Worldwide, there has been a decline in physical activity due to more sedentary jobs and modes of transportation. Moreover, the intake of energy-dense foods high in fat, salt and sugar, and low in nutrients has accelerated rapidly with increased global trade and development. These societal changes in diet and physical activity are in turn exacerbated by agricultural trade policies, food marketing and a lack of urban planning and transportation that foster healthy lifestyles.
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