Childhood obesity : ten times more children are affected in 40 years

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Published the 11.10.2017 at 12h23

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obésitéenfantsadolescentsOMS

The world is growing year by year. The number of overweight people is now in the millions. A half-billion adults are obese and two times higher in overweight.

And children are no exception, notes a study published in the prestigious Lancet. A survey of 130 million people, it analyzes the evolution of the overweight since 1975.

In the space of 40 years, the number of children too large, is multiplied by ten, based on the work of the Imperial College of London (United Kingdom). Published on the occasion of the world Day of Obesity, October 11, they highlight the importance to intensify the fight against malnutrition. In fact, it is now 6% of girls and 8 % of boys have a BMI well above normal.

The explosion of the anglophone

The trend highlighted by this study is alarming. In 2016, 124 million children were obese and 213 million overweight. Without coordinated action, the world could count more obese children than children in sub-weight in 2022.

Some areas are affected disproportionately. This is the case of regions rich English speakers – such as the United States, Australia or Ireland – but also of less-favoured areas, such as east Asia. In children and adolescents, the record of overweight was observed in Polynesia and Micronesia. A quarter of young people are suffering from obesity.

Mean BMI in the countries of the world (Source : NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC))

In fact, a dual phenomenon is observed. In developed countries, overweight is experiencing a plateau since 1975, while remaining at a high level. Low-income countries-or moderate them, are facing a rapid increase in obesity. The highest increase takes place in the Middle East, North Africa and east Asia.