In Europe, obesity is reaching worrying rates, even among the smallest. According to the WHO, this is an epidemic to be fought as soon as possible, since it causes 1.2 million deaths every year.
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It is alarm obesity in Europe. In the Old Continent the situation is not much better than in the United States. This was revealed by the new report just published by the World Health Organization (WHO), which confirms that the obesity rate has reached “epidemic proportions”.
On the European territory, about 60% of adults are in overweight o obese: the highest levels are recorded among men (63%), while the number of women with weight problems is slightly lower (54%). But the worrying phenomenon also affects the little ones: in fact, almost 1 in 3 children living in Europe suffers from obesity or is overweight. All this has serious repercussions on the health of the European population that should not be overlooked.
“Increased body mass index is a major risk factor for diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular disease,” said WHO Director for Europe Hans Kluge.
According to the WHO, overweight and obesity is a major cause of disability and causes over 1.2 million deaths a year, equal to 13% of deaths on the continent. A number that makes your skin crawl and invites serious reflection.
The situation in Italy
But which are the countries with the highest rates of obesity and overweight? According to the WHO, it is the neighboring nations that cause greater concern on the Mediterranean and those of Eastern Europe.
Educational inequalities are widespread, with a higher prevalence of obesity in people with a lower level of education – the report reads – Furthermore, the gender analysis shows that in the European region the inequalities in the levels of overweight and obesity between men and women are widespread and heterogeneous and linked to socio-economic factors such as income, education, work and place of residence.
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How are we in Italy? In our nation, among adults, obesity and overweight rates are 65.3% for men and 51% for women and are in line with the European average. While the situation regarding children is decidedly more disturbing: minors aged between 5 and 9 who suffer from obesity or overweight are about 42% (44.7 males and 39.2 females). And this is a sad record in the Old Continent, where the average is around 29%. As for obesity, the rate among the youngest is 17%, an alarming figure that we share with the Greek population.
Obesity among the main causes of death in Europe
As anticipated, overweight and obesity are in fourth place as a risk factor for death, after hypertension, food risks and tobacco. And, according to the WHO, in the coming decades it could even exceed smoking as the main risk factor for the onset of cancer. As clarified in the report, this condition is associated with 13 different types of cancer and must be treated and managed urgently.
The report also focuses on the risks of obesity in Covid-19 patients. The outbreak of the pandemic, in fact, has made the problem of obesity even more serious.
Obese people are more likely to have complications and death from the virus, and many of these patients have experienced interruptions in accessing obesity management services. Preliminary data also suggests that during the current pandemic, people have been more exposed to risk factors for obesity, including a sedentary lifestyle and eating unhealthy foods.
WHO recommendations to combat obesity
To protect the European population and reduce the risk of developing serious diseases, obesity must be fought with targeted strategies, encouraging people to change their lifestyle and eat healthier foods.
Obesity is influenced by the environment, so it is important to look at this problem from the perspective of each stage of life. For example, the lives of children and adolescents are influenced by digital environments, including the marketing of unhealthy food and drink – comments Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, acting head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases , one of the authors of the 2022 Obesity Report. – We have learned over time that a single policy will not work. To be successful as a country or region, we need a complete package of interventions. No single country has been able to introduce all these policies at the same time. It is important to prioritize 2 or 3 policies to implement now and have a workable plan for introducing the rest of the interventions.
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Fonte: OMS
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