HEALTH – 1 billion and 38 million. This is the number of people suffering from obesity in the world, almost one in eight Earthlings. This worrying figure is the result of a new study published this Friday March 1 in The Lancet. More precisely, 879 million adults and 159 million children and adolescents were obese in 2022.
Researchers compared this figure with those of the last 33 years to measure the evolution of this health problem around the world. If adults, particularly women, are concerned, for minors the figures explode, with a four-fold increase between 1990 and 2022.
Enough for researchers to say that today, obesity has become the most common form of malnutrition in many countries. France is not immune to the problem, even if the problem is less serious there than in certain territories.
The Pacific Islands particularly affected
More than 1,500 researchers and doctors from the Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factors Collaboration (NCD-RisC) worked on this research, supported by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission. They analyzed the weight and height measurements of more than 220 million people over the age of five.
The number of minors affected by obesity increased from 31 million in 1990 to 159 million (65 million girls and 94 million boys) in 2022. For adults, the same observation: obesity rates have more than doubled among women (8.8% to 18.5%) and almost tripled among men (4.8% to 14.0%) between 1990 and 2022.
The countries with the highest prevalence of obesity are the island nations of Tonga, American Samoa, and Polynesia and Micronesia. There, more than 60% of the adult population is obese. On the opposite end of the spectrum, rankings vary between men and women. For males, African countries like Ethiopia (200e and last), Rwanda (198e) or even Eritrea (195e) have very low obesity rates. For females, Vietnam is 200e and many Asian countries are in the bottom ten like China (190e) Cambodia (193e), South Korea (194e) or even Japan (198e).
For its part, France is improving by moving from 110e at 181e place for women, and the 79e at 143e place for men. It is possible to find all the information on this link for adults, and this link for minors.
Undernutrition, a problem that is decreasing
Obesity was not the only factor measured, scientists also measured underweight (or undernutrition). This problem occurs when a person weighs less than the normal weight, calculated based on gender, age and height. The countries with the highest combined rates of undernutrition and obesity in 2022 are island nations in the Pacific and Caribbean, as well as countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
As for underweight alone, this problem is decreasing in most countries. But it remains serious in some poor places around the world and hundreds of millions of people are still affected by undernutrition.
And this problem is increasing in developed countries. For boys, France went from 155th place to 106th and a downgrade from 108th to 60th place for girls.
Obesity, a danger for children
This new study underlines one point: the importance of prevention and management of obesity from the beginning of life and into adulthood. “ It is of great concern that the obesity epidemic that was evident among adults in much of the world in 1990 is reflected today in school-age children and adolescents » worries Professor Majid Ezzati, from Imperial College London.
Added to this are several problems that aggravate the situation. “ The impact of issues such as global warming, disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (including inflation, Editor’s note) and the war in Ukraine risk increasing the number of people suffering from obesity and underweight » estimates Doctor Guha Pradeepa, co-author of the study.
To act, several levers are important: “diet, physical activity and, if necessary, adequate care” lists Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO. But he believes that governments alone will not achieve success. He urges the private sector, particularly agri-food companies, to do their part to improve the situation.
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