Another ‘epidemic’ is worsening in Europe, WHO says — Analysis
The UN’s health watchdog found that nearly 60% of European adults are obese or overweight.
Obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions. “epidemic proportions”According to the World Health Organization, Europe has been affected. On Tuesday, the European Congress on Obesity presented a significant report that highlighted this issue.
Rates are “still escalating,”According to the watchdog, no country within the region is expected to achieve the WHO non-communicable disease (NCD), which aims at halting the rise in obesity rates by 2025.
“Alarmingly, there have been consistent increases in prevalence of overweight and obesity, and not a single Member State of the Region is on track to reach the target of halting the rise in obesity by 2025,”This is the text of the report.
This disease contributes to approximately 1.2million deaths annually and is responsible for around 200,000 cases. The report states that this number is expected to rise further and obesity may overtake smoking as a risk factor for cancer in certain countries.
“Across the WHO European region, obesity is likely to be directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases annually, with this figure projected to rise in the coming decades,”This is what the document looks like.
The WHO estimates that 59% are obese or overweight in Europe. The issue is affecting children as well: some 7.9% of children under the age of five – numbering around 4.4 million – are already experiencing problems with excess body weight.
This is especially true for school-aged kids, where one third is obese. This is the trend “decreases temporarily in adolescents,”Around 25% are affected. According to the report, obesity in Europe is greater than anywhere else in the world, with the exception of the Americas.
WHO admits that it is necessary to take a holistic approach in order to deal with the issue. “no single intervention can halt the rise of the growing epidemic.”
These measures would include increased taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks and subsidies for healthy food, advertising restrictions for unhealthy foods for kids, and “improvement of access to obesity and overweight management services in primary health care, as part of universal health coverage.”
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