WEIGHT LOSS

According to the World Health Organization:

  • “Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled sine 1975.
  • In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.
  • 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.
  • Most of the world’s population live in countries were overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
  • 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2020.
  • Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.
  • Obesity is preventable” (Obesity and overweight).

“The modern society could broadly be described to support unhealthful eating patterns and sedentary behavior; also described as obesogenic. Obesity prevention and treatment has focused on educational and behavioral interventions, with limited overall success. A sustainable approach is to address the environments that promote less healthy eating and high energy intake as well as sedentary behavior. Approaches which modify the environment have the potential to assist in the prevention of this complex condition… Takeaway and fast food, a fixture of our diet, is usually nutrient poor and energy dense. A ‘concentration effect’ has been observed, where there is a clustering of fast food and takeaway outlets in more deprived areas. Access to food and intake are associated… policy, practice, civic society and industry must work together and take action now, where current evidence suggests a change. Shaping the environment to better support healthful eating decisions has the potential to be a key aspect of a successful obesity prevention intervention”(Lake).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has an informative Overweight & Obesity section on their website, including data & statistics, adult and childhood overweight and obesity information, healthy food environments, and proven strategies to address obesity. The CDC’s efforts “focus on policy and environmental strategies to make healthy eating and active living accessible and affordable for everyone” (Overweight & Obesity). To access, click here.

References

Lake, A. (2018). Neighborhood food environments: Food choice, foodscapes and planning for health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 77(3), 239-246. doi:10.1017/S0029665118000022
Obesity & Overweight. (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html
Obesity and overweight. (June 9, 2021). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight