Key Points
The global rate of obesity has quadrupled in children and doubled in adults since 1990, according to a new analysis published in The Lancet, a medical journal, March 1, 2024..
Francesco Branca, Director of the WHO's Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, said the organization had previously estimated that the global rate of obesity would hit a billion people in 2030..
The new data shows that while obesity rates are generally starting to plateau in many rich countries, they are growing rapidly among both adults and children in low-to-middle income countries, such as Egypt, Iraq, Libya, South Africa and Chile, with Syria, Turkey and Mexico not far behind..
Branca said the increase in obesity has been so sharp in low-to-middle income countries compared to wealthier countries for a few reasons: There's been a transformation in food production, then there's "the biology of the double burden", and finally a lack of public health policies..
Unlike wealthier countries, said Branca, many low-to-middle income countries have very few or zero policies in place to curb the "enormous" pressure created by marketing that pushes foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt..
