With child and adolescent obesity rising rapidly, more people in the world are obese than underweight, particularly in developing nations, according to the United Nations. Yesterday marked World Obesity Day, and the recent U.N. statistics show worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.
In 2014, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight. Of these over 600 million, or 13 percent of the global population, were obese. 3.4 million people die each year due to being overweight. Obesity is on the rise in urban areas in low and middle-income countries. Most of the world's population lives in countries where complications of being overweight or obese kill more people than problems associated with being underweight.
Nearly half of the children under the age of 5 who were overweight or obese in 2014 lived in Asia. In Africa, the number of children who are overweight or obese nearly doubled to 10.6 million in 2014 from 5.4 million in 1990.
In Turkey, the scene is also worrisome. Among 3 million obesity patients, 1.8 million are composed of children ranging from 0 to 18 years old. The Turkish Kidney Foundation said in a statement that more complications are seen among children with obesity. For the next year, the foundation has announced its campaign called "Fighting Obesity in Children."
In Europe, Britain has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, ahead of countries such as France, Germany, Spain and Sweden according to a 2013 report.
The U.N. health agency is recommending that countries use tax policy to increase the price of sugary drinks like soft drinks, sport drinks and even 100-percent fruit juices as way to fight obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. In a 36-page report on fiscal policy and diet released Tuesday, WHO also cited "strong evidence" that subsidies to reduced prices for fresh fruits and vegetables can help improve diets. Drawing on lessons from campaigns to fight tobacco, WHO says taxing sugary drinks could help reduce consumption of sugars, bringing health benefits and more income for governments.
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