The worldwide obesity epidemic.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The recent World Health Organization (WHO) agreement on the standardized classification of overweight and obese, based on body mass index (BMI), allows a comparable analysis of prevalence rates worldwide for the first time. In Asia, however, there is a demand for a more limited range for normal BMIs (i.e., 18.5 to 22.9 kg/m(2) rather than 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m(2)) because of the high prevalence of comorbidities, particularly diabetes and hypertension. In children, the International Obesity Task-Force age-, sex-, and BMI-specific cutoff points are increasingly being used. We are currently evaluating BMI data globally as part of a new millennium analysis of the Global Burden of Disease. WHO is analyzing data in terms of 20 or more principal risk factors contributing to the primary causes of disability and lost lives in the 191 countries within the WHO. The prevalence rates for overweight and obese people are different in each region, with the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, and North America having higher prevalence rates. In most countries, women show a greater BMI distribution with higher obesity rates than do men. Obesity is usually now associated with poverty, even in developing countries. Relatively new data suggest that abdominal obesity in adults, with its associated enhanced morbidity, occurs particularly in those who had lower birth weights and early childhood stunting. Waist measurements in nationally representative studies are scarce but will now be needed to estimate the full impact of the worldwide obesity epidemic.
منابع مشابه
Obesity: A worldwide Epidemic
Worldwide, obesity represents a major epidemic as its prevalence is increasing both in developed and developing countries. The rising prevalence is an issue of great concern in particularly in children due to adverse health problems associated with it. Obesity in early years of life increases the risk of obesity in later life with a higher risk of developing type-II diabetes, arthritis, cardiov...
متن کاملObesity Wars Molecular Progress Confronts an Expanding Epidemic
The worldwide prevalence of obesity is increasing at an alarming rate, with major adverse consequences for human health. This "obesity epidemic" is paralleled by a rapid and substantive increase in our understanding of molecular pathways and physiologic systems underlying the regulation of energy balance. While efforts to address the environmental factors that are responsible for the recent "ep...
متن کاملObesity and asthma: location, location, location.
T here is a worldwide epidemic of obesity. In the USA, the prevalence of obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) o30 kg?m, has increased among adults aged 20– 74 yrs from ,15% in the late 1970s to ,35% in 2010. Another third of the population is overweight (BMI o25 to ,30 kg?m). The obesity epidemic has impacted both developed and developing nations throughout the world. The World Health Or...
متن کاملPrevention Conference VII: Obesity, a worldwide epidemic related to heart disease and stroke: executive summary.
On April 27 and 28, 2002, the American Heart Association (AHA) sponsored a scientific conference, “Obesity, a Worldwide Epidemic Related to Heart Disease and Stroke,” in Honolulu, Hawaii. The purpose of the conference was to develop a plan to reduce cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) associated with overweight and obesity. This report discusses the activities of the 4 working groups held before the...
متن کاملChemical toxins: a hypothesis to explain the global obesity epidemic.
The number of obese people worldwide has escalated recently, revealing a complex picture of significant variations among nations and different profiles among adults and children, regions, and occupations. The commonly held causes of obesity-overeating and inactivity-do not explain the current obesity epidemic. There is evidence of a general decrease in food consumption by humans and a significa...
متن کاملComplex Systems Modeling for Obesity Research
The obesity epidemic has grown rapidly into a major public health challenge, in the United States and worldwide. The scope and scale of the obesity epidemic motivate an urgent need for well-crafted policy interventions to prevent further spread and (potentially) to reverse the epidemic. Yet several attributes of the epidemic make it an especially challenging problem both to study and to combat....
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Obesity research
دوره 9 Suppl 4 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2001