More than half of the world's population will be classified as obese or overweight by 2035 if no action is taken, the World Obesity Federation has warned. The situation will affect more than four billion people will be affected, and the rates will increase faster among children, says this report.
Tomorrow, Saturday, March 4, World Obesity Day (WMD) is celebrated, an appointment that serves to draw sober attention to the growing impact of this fermentation at the health, social and economic level. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the prevalence of obesity in a large part of European countries (Spain included) has tripled since 1980 and it is estimated that in European countries more than 70% of adults have an excess unhealthy weight If current trends continue, we expect that by 2030 more than half of the European population will be obese.
The federation's president, Professor Louise Baur, called the report's achievement a clear announcement to countries that act now or risk repercussions in the future.
The document highlights the rising rates of obesity among children and adolescents, and expects rates to double from 2020 levels among boys and girls.
The problem is especially serious if it is argued that, for example, obesity reduces life expectancy in an equivalent way to smoking and ranks as the fifth leading cause of death in the world, as revealed in the World Obesity Atlas. 2023.
Baur warned that the trend was “particularly worrying”, adding that “governments and policymakers around the world must do everything possible to avoid passing health, social and economic costs on to the younger generation by assessing the fundamental systems and factors that contribute to obesity.
In Spain, faced with this situation, the Spanish Obesity Society (SEEDO) proposed a series of main requirements, recommendations and guidelines for present and future action.
Health professionals can make a difference in the proper treatment of obesity
Above all, as highlighted by the president of this scientific society, María del Mar Malagón, "it is essential that obesity be known as a chronic disease, which is involved in the development of numerous risk factors for health and the appearance of other diseases chronic, but that it is preventable and treatable”.
According to the highest representative of SEEDO, it was "essential to have a national and European obedience plan, but if it is argued in these cases that there is a lot of Europe that can benefit from careful medical treatment for obedience and without loss of receiving".
The effects of the prevalence of obesity in low-income countries are also highlighted in the report. New of the 10 countries with the largest expected increases in obesity globally are low- or lower-middle-income states in Africa and Asia.
Areas include trends in dietary preferences toward more processed foods, higher levels of sedentary behavior, weaker policies to control food supply and marketing, and under-resourced health care services to assist with weight management and education. for health.
Two people with the same weight and height can have a very different distribution of their adipose tissue Archive
Get out of the slavery of 'pesocentrism'
Obesity is not a choice or a moral disease. A person does not choose to suffer obesity, obesity is the one who chooses you. In the development of this disease there is an important genetic component, which may be associated with stress, little sleep, environmental pollutants and other external factors.
According to the coordinator of the SEEDO Psychology and Obesity group, Antonio Alcántara, "in order to have a positive impact on the mental health of these people, we must stop blaming them for their excess weight: blaming patients with obesity is essential for everyone's mental health.
On the other hand, Alcántara encouraged “getting out of the slavery of 'pesocentrism' and prioritizing the concept of 'morfunctionality'”. And it is that two people with the same weight and height, can have a very different distribution of their adipose tissue.
In addition, "the loss of education and training of doctors, and other health professionals, is one of the main barriers to carrying out effective care and treatment of obesity", summarizes Albert Lecube, vice president of SEEDO, which considers that "health professionals can make a difference in the proper treatment of obesity, acquiring greater knowledge about the disease and about all the circumstances that surround it."
To this we must add that up to 75% of Europeans living with obesity do not recognize that they have this disease.
Low-income countries are “often the least able to respond to obesity and its consequences”.
The findings estimate that increases in the amount of obesity worldwide tend to have a significant impact on the global economy, equivalent to 3% of global Gross Domestic Product.
The report emphasizes that its acknowledgment of the economic impact of obesity "is by no means a reflection of the guilt of people living with obesity."
Obese is a medical term used to describe a person with a high excess of body fat. The report uses the Body Mass Index (BMI) to make its assessments. The BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of an adult by the square of their height.
