Geneva, March 1, 2024 — A new study published by The Lancet shows that, by 2022, more than one billion people in the world will be living with obesity. Worldwide, obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990 and has quadrupled among children and adolescents (ages 5 to 19). The data also shows that 43% of adults were overweight in 2022.
The study also shows that although malnutrition rates have decreased, it remains a public health challenge in many places, particularly in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were the island nations of the Pacific and Caribbean and those of the Middle East and North Africa.
Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), vitamin or mineral insufficiency, overweight and obesity. Malnutrition is responsible for half of the deaths of children under 5 years of age and obesity can cause non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers.
WHO contributed to the data collection and analysis of this study. The full data set is now also disseminated via Global Health Observatory.
«This new study highlights the importance of preventing and controlling obesity from early life to adulthood, through diet, physical activity and appropriate care as needed,» said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO. “Getting back on track to meet global targets to curb obesity will require the work of governments and communities, supported by evidence-based policies from WHO and national public health agencies. “It is important to highlight that it requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be responsible for the health impacts of its products.”
Obesity is a complex chronic disease. The causes are well known, as are the interventions needed to contain the crisis, which are supported by compelling evidence. However, they are not implemented. At the 2022 World Health Assembly, Member States adopted the WHO acceleration plan to curb obesitywhich supports nationwide action through 2030. To date, 31 governments are leading the way in curbing the obesity epidemic by implementing the plan.
The central interventions are:
- actions to support healthy practices from day 1, including the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding;
- regulations on harmful marketing of food and drink to children;
- school food and nutrition policies, including initiatives to regulate the sale of products high in fat, sugar and salt near schools;
- tax and pricing policies to promote healthy diets;
- nutritional labeling policies;
- public education and awareness campaigns on healthy diets and exercise;
- standards for physical activity in schools; and
- Integration of obesity prevention and management services into primary health care.
«There are significant challenges in implementing policies aimed at ensuring affordable access to healthy diets for all and creating environments that promote physical activity and overall healthy lifestyles for all,» said Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Safety of the WHO and one of the co-authors of the study. «Countries must also ensure that health systems integrate obesity prevention and management into the basic package of services.»
Addressing malnutrition requires multisectoral actions in agriculture, social protection and health, to reduce food insecurity, improve access to drinking water and sanitation, and ensure universal access to essential nutritional interventions.
