In 2022, more than 1 billion people in the world were living with obesity, according to a new study published in The Lancet.
The study estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories.
Obesity is a complex chronic disease that increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Study findings suggest that obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990 around the world, and has quadrupled among children and adolescents (5 to 19 years of age). The data also show that 43% of adults were overweight in 2022.
Furthermore, the study indicates that obesity rates are plateauing in many wealthier countries, but rising rapidly elsewhere. Countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean and those in the Middle East and North Africa.
The study also notes that even though the rates of undernutrition have dropped, it is still a public health challenge in many places, particularly in South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) contributed to the data collection and analysis of this study, which was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, the UK Research and Innovation (Research England), the UK Research and Innovation (Innovate UK), and the European Union.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said implementing measures, such as regulating the sales of products high in fats and sugars and promoting healthy school meals, were needed to control obesity rates.
Weight-loss drugs — such as Eli Lilly’s (LLY) Mounjaro and Zepbound and Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) Wegovy and Ozempic – could also help tackle this chronic condition, according to Francesco Branca, WHO head of nutrition. However, the cost and low availability of these drugs risked further increasing inequality.
