On May 3, local time, WHO released the "2022 European Regional Obesity Report" pointed out that in the European region, overweight and obesity have reached the level of "epidemic", affecting nearly 59% of adults and one-third of children in Europe.
According to the British "Guardian", this is the first relevant study by WHO in 15 years, and the rate of overweight and obesity has reached "deadly" levels, and the situation continues to deteriorate.
Outside the Americas, Europe has the highest obesity rate
According to the Associated Press, Europe's overweight rate has soared by 38% over the past 50 years, and rose by 21% in just a decade from 2006 to 2016.
"European countries are very diverse, but each country faces the challenge of being overweight and obese to some degree." WHO Regional Director for Europe Kluge said.
The WHO reports that nearly a quarter of Europe's population falls under the category of obesity, with higher rates of obesity in Europe than in any other part of the world except the Americas. WHO warned, "It is worrying that overweight and obesity rates in the WHO European Region continue to rise, and no Member State is on track to meet the goal of curbing obesity rates by 2025." ”
Adult overweight and obesity rates in the WHO European Region, 1975-2016. The upper curve is the overweight rate, and the lower curve is the obesity rate. Screenshot of the European Regional Obesity Report 2022
In the European region, the UK has the fourth largest number of overweight and obese adult populations, behind Israel, Malta and Turkey. In terms of obesity rates, the UK is second only to Malta. According to the Uk's National Health Service (NHS), more than 1 million people in England were admitted to hospitals for obesity between 2019 and 2020, a 17% increase from 2018 to 2019.
Being overweight and obese is not only about an individual's physical shape, but also has a range of health risks that lead to premature death and are a major risk factor for disability.
The latest estimates infer that overweight and obesity are the fourth most common risk factors for noncommunicable diseases in the region, after high blood pressure, diet-related risks and tobacco, the report said. Obesity triggers a range of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, musculoskeletal complications and at least 13 types of cancer.
For some countries in Europe, WHO expects obesity to replace smoking as a major risk factor for preventable cancer. Obesity is likely to directly cause at least 200,000 cases of cancer each year in Europe, and the figure is expected to rise, while overweight and obesity are expected to cause at least 1.2 million deaths each year, accounting for more than 13% of deaths in Europe, the report said.
What should I do about being overweight and obese?
According to the British "Guardian", the definition of obesity and overweight is related to the body mass index (BMI) (BMI calculation formula is: BMI = weight÷ height 2). Individuals are overweight when the BMI is between 25 and 29.9 and obese when the BMI is 30 and above.
Obesity and overweight are widely believed to stem from unhealthy diets and insufficient physical activity, but the WHO stresses that the causes are far more complex than a combination of the two.
Europe's modern environment is an important driver, with highly digitized societies leading to rising obesity rates in all its aspects. For example, the WHO report says that the marketing of unhealthy foods to children on the Internet and the growing popularity of online games are linked to the trend of overweight and obesity in Europe.
WHO warns that obesity rates in Europe have reached "epidemic" levels. Screenshot of Bloomberg's report
At the same time, overweight people are not only more likely to face high mortality rates and mortality due to COVID-19, but also the negative impact of COVID-19 on people's lifestyles (including diet and frequency of physical activity) may become more and more obvious in the next few years. The WHO Europe regional website comments that this negative trend will require great effort to reverse.
The US political news website Politico quoted who as an example, during the new crown epidemic, the frequent use of takeaway software generally exacerbated the obesity problem, who suggested that restaurants that originally needed to provide food nutrition information in physical stores should also do this on takeaway software, and should also strive to classify takeaway companies as food companies and hold them accountable in the same way.
Europe still has an opportunity to reverse the "obesity epidemic," Kluge said, "by creating a more enabling environment for investment and innovation in health, and developing strong, resilient health systems, we can change the region's trajectory on obesity." ”
To address obesity and overweight in Europe, WHO is calling on Europe's top political brass to take steps, including a "sugar tax" on sugar-sweetened beverages, subsidizing healthy foods, and ending the marketing of unhealthy foods to children. "For all populations, policy interventions in terms of environmental and business determinants or reversing the obesity epidemic are the most effective ways."
Note: The Europe mentioned in the article is the WHO European Region, which includes a total of 53 countries, including several countries in Central Asia.
(The header of this article is a screenshot of the Report of the Associated Press)
Reporter | Hou Wuting
Edit | Liu Xixian