Two in three adults over 25 could be obese or overweight by 2050, experts have warned, saying lack of access to healthy food and green spaces, as well as a shift towards desk jobs and longer working hours, have all contributed to increasing levels of obesity.
However, according to the newly released World Heart Report, which was compiled by the World Heart Federation, “game changing” medical interventions like weight loss jabs like Wegovy are showing positive steps in the battle of the bulge.
Globally, the number of obese adults has quadrupled since 1990, from 194m to 878m in 2022 – a figure that is only expected to rise, reports The Independent.
Obesity causes 3.7m deaths annually and is a leading driver of deaths from cardiovascular disease, warns the report, which reveals that high BMI accounts for nearly 10% of all cardiovascular deaths worldwide, doubling to 1.9m in three decades.
Children with a high BMI are 40% more likely than those with low BMI to suffer with cardiovascular disease in midlife.
To tackle the problem, some countries, including the UK, Japan and Rwanda, have launched initiatives like limiting the density of fast-food outlets, particularly near schools and areas with childhood obesity and deprivation.
“To address the growing implications of the crisis, we urge action and targeted investment by governments worldwide. Health systems must be strengthened to ensure broader access to, and affordability of, medical care for obesity and cardiovascular disease,” said Mariachiara Di Cesare, Professor of Population Studies and Global Health, and Director of the Institute of Public Health and Well-being at the University of Essex, and one of the report authors.
The report also warns health professionals about harbouring negative biases about obesity and viewing patients as “non-compliant with health advice”, saying this can deter patients from seeking advice.
The authors said the perception that obese people are “lazy, gluttonous, and lacking in self-discipline” has long-lasting psychological and physical consequences.
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