More than half of adults and a third of children worldwide will be overweight or obese by 2050 - study
Kyiv • UNN
By 2050, more than half of adults and a third of children worldwide will be overweight or obese. Research shows a 121% increase in the number of sick among youth, posing a threat to healthcare systems.
More than half of adults and a third of children and young people worldwide will be overweight or suffer from obesity by 2050, creating an "unprecedented threat" of early death, disease, and a huge burden on healthcare systems, warns a new report, writes UNN citing The Guardian.
Details
Global failures to respond to the growing obesity crisis over the past three decades have led to a staggering increase in the number of affected individuals, according to an analysis published in Lancet.
Currently, 2.11 billion adults aged 25 and older and 493 million children and young people aged five to 24 are overweight or suffer from obesity, the study shows. This is more than 731 million and 198 million respectively in 1990.
The report states that without urgent policy reform and action, it is projected that by 2050 more than half of people aged 25 and older worldwide (3.8 billion) and about a third of all children and young people (746 million) will be affected by this disease.
The research predicts a particularly alarming increase (121%) in obesity among children and young people, with the number of people living with obesity expected to reach 360 million by 2050.
"The unprecedented global epidemic of overweight and obesity is a profound tragedy and a monumental failure of society," said lead author of the study, Professor Emmanuela Gakidou from the University of Washington.
The number of affected individuals varies across the globe, the study shows. More than half of adults who are overweight or suffer from obesity live in just eight countries: China (402 million), India (180 million), the USA (172 million), Brazil (88 million), Russia (71 million), Mexico (58 million), Indonesia (52 million), and Egypt (41 million).
It is projected that by 2050, approximately one in three children and young people suffering from obesity (130 million) will live in just two regions - North Africa and the Middle East, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean - with seismic consequences for health, the economy, and society, the report states.
Researchers warned that children worldwide are gaining weight faster than previous generations, and obesity is occurring earlier, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer at a younger age.
It is projected that by 2050 nearly a quarter of the world's adult population suffering from obesity will be aged 65 and older, which will increase the burden on already overwhelmed healthcare systems and harm services in low-resource countries.
A second study, also published on Monday by the World Obesity Federation, specifically warns about the impact of obesity on poor countries.
"Undoubtedly, the largest number of premature deaths related to high BMI occurs in low- and middle-income countries, indicating a low level of accessible treatment," the authors write.
Joanna Ralston, Executive Director of the World Obesity Forum, said: "Obesity significantly impacts health, the economy, and society, which is likely to be more challenging for low-resource countries to manage."