- The new report indicates that the 53 countries that make up the region show an alarming increase in obesity.
- Obesity increases the risk of noncommunicable diseases, including 13 different types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
- Excess weight could be a determining factor in at least 200,000 new cases of cancer per year in Europe.
Food is a fundamental part of life because it offers the energy that all people need. The problems start when you don’t eat properly. Lack leads to malnutrition, while abundance leads to Obesity and as the years go by is a situation that has grown in severity until it has become an epidemic.
Unfortunately, it is a problem that is far from being controlled. In fact, it is growing more and more and now the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that obesity rates are alarming throughout Europe.
An new study by the regional office of the UN agency reported that nearly two-thirds of adults (59%), and nearly one in three children (29%), are overweight or obese.
The chronic overweight and obesity they are among the leading causes of death and disability in Europe. In addition, the WHO estimates that these conditions cause more than 1.2 million deaths a year, that is, more than 13% of the total mortality in the continent.
Obesity increases the risk of noncommunicable diseases, including 13 different types of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.
The over weight could be decisive in at least 200,000 new cases of cancer per year in Europe, and it is expected that the figure will increase in the coming years.
If this trend continues, none of the 53 countries that make up the WHO European region will meet the agency’s goal against non-communicable diseases.
Greater impact during the pandemic
The agency also highlighted how overweight or obese people are disproportionately harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are they more likely to suffer complications and death from the coronavirus, but many have seen the medical services they need interrupted or slowed down to deal with the health emergency.
To all this are added the changes in food consumption patterns and the reduction in physical activity due to the confinements and transformations of the work models imposed by the pandemic.
The WHO argued that these negative changes will have effects on health in the coming years and that reversing them will require a great effort.
change the trend
The regional director for Europe of the WHO, Hans Kluge, recalled that obesity knows no borders and that although European countries are diverse, they all face challenges in the face of this public health problem.
“To turn the tide in Europe, we will need to create more enabling environments, promote investment and innovation in health, and build strong and resilient health systems.”
The report presents a series of interventions and policy options for governments to tackle obesity, emphasizing the urgency to build back better after the pandemic.
complex causes
The UN agency explained that the causes of obesity “are much more complex than the mere combination of an unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.”
The study highlights, among other things, how vulnerability to unhealthy body weight in early life can affect a person’s tendency to develop obesity.
They also drive the rise in obesity in Europe environmental factors such as the digital marketing of unhealthy foods to children and the proliferation of sedentary online games.
However, those same digital platforms could be used to promote health and wellness, the document says.
The WHO stated that the environment has a great influence on obesity, so it is important to approach the problem from the perspective of each stage of life. For example, the lives of children and adolescents are affected by digital environments, including the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks.
recommendations
The report’s recommendations include the implementation of fiscal interventions, such as raising taxes on sugary drinks or implementing subsidies for healthier foods, restricting the marketing of foods harmful to children and improving access to services for the control of obesity and overweight. in primary health care.
Efforts to improve diet and physical activity throughout life are also suggested, such as preconception and pregnancy care, promotion of breastfeeding and school interventions, as well as the creation of environments that improve access to healthy food and physical activity.
Since obesity is complex, for the WHO, no single measure can stop the increase in the epidemic. Therefore, any national policy must have a high-level political commitment, must be comprehensive and focus on inequalities.