Childhood obesity has increased by 10!
Childhood obesity among people aged 5 to 19 increased more than tenfold worldwide
Worrying news about childhood obesity that new research has brought to light. An important part as health experts is to inform our patients about this topic. And raise awareness about our eating habits.
The studio
The study was published in The Lancet. The weight and height information of almost 130 million people was analyzed. All participants were at least five years of age (31.5 million people ages 5 to 19 and 97.4 million people ages 20 and older). This being the largest number of participants in an epidemiological study. More than 1,000 researchers contributed to the study. This examined how obesity has changed around the world from** 1975 to 2016.** During this period, rates of childhood and adolescent obesity increased globally from less than 1% (equivalent to five million girls and six million boys) in 1975 to almost** 6%** in girls (50 million) and almost 8% in 2016. Overall, the number of cases of obesity among people aged 5 to 19 increased more than tenfold globally**. From 11 million in 1975 to 124 million in 2016. This sector of the population (children and adolescents) has rapidly gone from being the largest underweight population to the largest overweight population in many middle-income countries. Including East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. The authors say this could reflect an increase in the consumption of energy-dense foods. Especially highly processed carbohydrates which lead to weight gain. They also lead to poor health throughout life. The rise of childhood and adolescent obesity in low- and middle-income countries. Especially in Asia, it has increased since 1975. Among high-income countries, the USA retains the highest rates of obesity among this same sector.
A possible solution
In conjunction with the release of the new obesity estimates, the WHO (World Health Organization) is publishing an Early Childhood Obesity (ECHO) Implementation Plan. The plan provides countries with clear guidance on effective measures to curb childhood and adolescent obesity. The WHO has also published guidelines calling on frontline health workers to identify and actively manage children who are overweight or obese. Let’s hope that efforts like this give results in improving general health. In our case, it is our responsibility to help our patients observe this problem and take action against it.
