The worldwide obesity problem has gotten even worse, said researchers at Imperial College London and the World Health Organization.
Obesity has far been an alarming issue across the world, but a new study shows that the current global initiatives designed to curb its growth have been largely ineffective.
Ten Times More Obese Children And Teens Than 40 Years Ago
According to the joint study between the Imperial College and the WHO, there were 10 times more obese children and teenagers in 2016 compared to data from 40 years ago, an alarming figure that underscores the need to address the obesity problem as soon as possible.
From 11 million obese children and adolescents 40 years ago, there were more than 120 million obese children and adolescents in 2016. This meant that almost 8 percent of boys and almost 6 percent of girls in the world were obese last year, compared to less than 1 percent for both boys and girls in 1975.
The research additionally revealed that the rise in obesity is increasing in low-income and middle-income countries, especially those in Asia. Child and teen obesity rates have been at a steady level in the United States, northwest Europe, and in other affluent nations, but the rates are still "unacceptably high."
A further 213 million children and teenagers were found to be overweight by the study, which is the largest of its kind to have ever been conducted so far.
The researchers behind the study, which aimed to identify the trends of obesity from 1975 to 2016, analyzed the weight and height of nearly 130 million people, including over 31 million people with ages of 5 years to 19 years. The results were very bad, prompting for louder calls for better nutrition in both homes and schools and a renewed focus on physical activity for children.
The Worldwide Obesity Problem
Previous reports have illustrated the worldwide obesity problem. According to research published in June, one-third of the world's population is obese, and at the forefront of that trend is the United States. This was supported by a report released in September that claimed one out of every five Americans is obese.
There have been a variety of proposed high-tech solutions to the obesity problem, including skin patches that are able to melt fat and genetically edited skin cells through the CRISPR technology. However, until these solutions are ready, each and every family will simply have to focus on better health for their loved ones through a healthier diet and lifestyle.
