Home » WHO alarm: “Obesity is an epidemic, 59% of adults and 29% of children overweight in Europe”

WHO alarm: “Obesity is an epidemic, 59% of adults and 29% of children overweight in Europe”

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WHO alarm: “Obesity is an epidemic, 59% of adults and 29% of children overweight in Europe”

There is a silent epidemic affecting people in Europe: it is overweight and obesity, which are estimated to play a role in more than 1.2 million deaths each year, accounting for more than 13% of total mortality in the region. . The alarm was raised by the European office of the World Health Organization (WHO), which today presented a new report in which it is highlighted that none of the member states is currently on track to stop weight gain among the population.

Currently in Europe 59% of adults and almost 1 in 3 children are overweight or obese. The phenomenon does not spare even the smallest children, so much so that it is estimated that 7.9% in the age group under 5 suffer from excess weight. Prevalence increases in the 5-9 year age group, with one in eight children obese (11.6%) and nearly one in three overweight (29.5%).

During adolescence there is a decrease in prevalence (7.1% in the 10-19 age group are obese and 24.9% are overweight). The rates of overweight and obesity, however, start to rise again in adulthood, where there is an obesity rate of 23%. WHO recalls how obesity and overweight are associated with a high number of diseases: for example, they are involved in the onset of 200,000 new cases of cancer per year and it is estimated that they cause 7% of the total years lived with disabilities in Europe.

Figures set to grow in the coming decades, considering that, according to the WHO, for some countries in the region, obesity will overtake smoking as the main risk factor for preventable cancer. To combat the overweight and obesity epidemic, WHO urges Member States to take effective measures (such as taxing sugary drinks or facilitating access to health food services) and policies that can improve eating habits and increase physical activity throughout life, starting from an early age.

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