LONDON: A new study warns that obesity and overweight prices increase rapidly worldwide, by more than half of all adults and almost a third of children and adolescents expected to be affected by 2050, highlighting what scientists describe as a “monumental societal failure” to tackle the growing crisis.
It represents more than 3.8 billion adults and 746 million children and adolescents, research published in Lancet said.
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of serious health problems such as diabetes, some cancers and heart disease.
“The unprecedented global epidemic of obesity and obesity is an in -depth tragedy and a monumental social failure,” said lead author Professor Emmanuela Gakidou of the Institute of Health Methrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in the United States.
The team, part of the global burden of disease study BMI partners, used data from 204 countries and territories to come up with their discretion and project what could happen in the future without action.
Prices for overweight and obesity have already more than doubled in the last three decades, with more than 2.1 billion adults and 493 million young people aged 5-24 years affected from 2021, they said.
While the causes of obesity were complex, governments should use the estimates to focus on how to help populations most at risk, scientists said, especially about improving access to healthy diets.
The study, funded by the Gates Foundation, had restrictions, including data shells and the use of body mass index as a marker. Nor did it take into account the potential impact of obesity drugs that have seen enormous demand in richer countries where they are available, the researchers said.
The picture varies globally, but the researchers said that an accelerated increase in obesity among adolescents and the increase in low and middle-income countries where health systems cannot cope with the upcoming disease burden was particularly worrying.
It includes an expected 250% increase in the speed of obesity and obesity in sub -Saharan Africa. The increase, to 522 million adults and 200 million children and young people, is partly driven by population growth.
A separate study published on Monday, World Obesity Atlas from the World Obesity Federation also traveled this question.
“The most affected regions are developing countries,” said Simon Barquera, president of the Federation.
Obesity Atlas suggested that 79% of adults and 88% of children with obesity and overweight will live in low and middle -income countries in 2035, and only 7% of all countries have sufficient health systems to tackle this.
“It’s really one of the most important challenges for public health around the world,” Barquera added.
