By 2035, Majority of World Population will be overweight or obese

Globally, obesity is a serious health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity is characterized as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more. A global epidemic, obesity now affects people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities. This article will examine the factors that contribute to obesity, its effects, and the methods being used to address it.

Causes of obesity:

Obesity has a number of underlying reasons, including genetic, environmental, and behavioural issues. Among the most frequent causes are:

Genetics: Studies have demonstrated that genetics can contribute to the emergence of obesity. There is a higher chance that a child will likewise become obesity if one or both parents are obese.
Environmental variables: A sedentary lifestyle, easy availability to harmful foods, and difficulty obtaining nutritious foods are all environmental factors that can cause obesity.
Behavioural factors: Stress levels, levels of physical activity, and eating patterns can all influence the development of obesity

Overweight and obese percentage on the rise

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2016 more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 years and older were overweight. Of these adults 650 million were obese. That accounted, 39% of adults aged 18 years and over (39% of men and 40% of women) were overweight. The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016.

It gets worse

According to estimates, there were 38.2 million overweight or obese children under the age of five in 2019. In 2019, Asia was home to over half of the world’s young overweight or obese children.

Within the next 12 years, more than 4 billion people, or 51% of the world’s population, will be obese or overweight, according to the World Obesity Federation’s 2023 atlas.

In 2020, 2.6 billion people fell into the category of being obese, or 38 per cent of the world’s population!

Consequences of obesity:

Obesity can lead to a wide range of health problems, including:

Type 2 diabetes: Obesity is a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that affects millions of people around the world.
Cardiovascular disease: Obesity can lead to the development of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.
Respiratory problems: Obesity can lead to respiratory problems such as sleep apnea and asthma.
Joint problems: The excess weight can put extra strain on the joints, leading to joint pain and other problems.

Strategies to combat obesity:

There are several strategies that are being implemented around the world to combat obesity. Some of the most effective strategies include:

Promoting healthy eating:

Governments and health organizations are promoting healthy eating habits by educating people about the importance of eating a balanced diet and consuming fewer processed and sugary foods.

Encouraging physical activity:

Governments and health organizations are also promoting physical activity by encouraging people to engage in regular exercise.

Implementing policies:

Governments are implementing policies such as taxes on unhealthy foods, restrictions on advertising of unhealthy foods, and subsidies for healthy foods.

Creating supportive environments:

Creating supportive environments such as safe parks and walking trails, bike lanes, and access to healthy foods can help encourage people to make healthier choices.

Overweight and obesity rate in Canada

Overweight and obese rate in Canada is not pretty!

According to the Statistics Canada, 26.8% of Canadians aged 18 and older (or around 7.3 million persons) reported having obesity-related height and weight in 2018. An additional 9.9 million adults (or 36.3%) were categorized as overweight in 2018, raising the whole population’s elevated health risks associated with obesity to 63.1%. Compared to 2015, when 61.9% of Canadians aged 18 and older were overweight or obese, this was an increase.

Obese adults in Canadian Provinces and Territories