It is an area where 59% of adults, 8% of children under five, and 33% of school-aged children are overweight or obese. Percentages “Higher than any other part of the world except the Americas”, The Guardian warns.
Obesity has become a major problem in Europe according to the World Health Organization, which published a longitudinal study on this topic on Tuesday, May 3, and whose main conclusions were conveyed by the British Journal. On the old continent – and in the few other countries (including Russia) that make up the region of Europe according to the division made by the World Health Organization – the international organization considers obesity to have reached “epidemic”.
But what exactly do we mean by this term?
“We talk about obesity when a person has a BMI of more than 30, while we consider that when that is between 25 and 29.99, the person is overweight,” London media notes. If we follow this standard, the report reveals that today 24% of women and 22% of men live in this condition.
The condition causes 200,000 cases of cancer and 1.2 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization. In some countries in the region, the report continues, Obesity is expected to overtake smoking as a major preventable cancer risk factor. in the next years.
Sugary Drink Taxes
So the picture painted by the World Health Organization is worrying, but the World Health Organization still believes it is possible to reverse this trend, which is why it is issuing a series of advice to governments.
The report calls for measures such as taxing sweetened drinks and promoting healthy eating, Brief summary Watchman, But also to stop marketing unhealthy foods to children.”
Then, among other measures envisaged, the WHO proposes limiting the spread of convenience stores in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, putting in place better labeling for baby food, or even establishing nutritional standards in nurseries. Finally, the corporate world must also do its part by offering health programs to help employees improve their physical condition.