With the exception of the Americas, there are no other areas in the world where the burden of overweight and obesity has grown to such magnitude. This is the alarming finding of the 2022 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe, which is concerned that none of the 53 countries in this region of the globe have been able to halt this progression. .
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The United Nations Organization no longer hesitates to speak of a phenomenon to “epidemic proportions throughout the region, and which continues to climb”, even if it classifies it as a non-communicable disease. The desire to put the scourge in resonance with the Covid-19, which claimed a greater number of victims among overweight people, is obvious.
No good students
On the Old Continent, overweight concerns 58.7% of the adult population, including 23.3% obese, a proportion that has tripled since the 1990s. The differences between countries are not clear. Not a single one manages to place himself significantly below the 50% overweight mark. France remains in the average (59.5%, including 21.6% obesity), below the United Kingdom (63.7%), Malta (66.4%), and Turkey (66 .8%), at the top of the ranking. “Obesity ignores borders. In Europe and Central Asia, not a single country will meet the goal of halting the progression of obesity, which is one of the WHO’s global targets”regrets Dr. Hans Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
Children are far from being spared. Among 5-9 year olds, 32.1% of boys and 26.6% of girls are overweight, with 14% and 9.1% respectively considered obese. In this age bracket, France is tied with the United Kingdom (32.5%), behind Italy (42%), Greece (41%), Malta (39.9%), Spain (37.9%) and Portugal (37.1%).
→ EXPLANATION. Has childhood obesity really increased?
WHO Europe highlights several unfavorable factors. She cites, of course, poor diet and lack of physical activity, but also other causes, such as the sedentarization of populations due to containment measures, or, more structurally, the digital environment in which our societies evolve. “Digital marketing of unhealthy food products to children and the proliferation of online sedentary games are contributing to the growing tide of overweight and obesity in the European region,” observe l’institution.
Failing Strategies
Using recent estimates, the report points out that overweight and obesity are implicated in 1.2 million deaths per year in Europe. According to the document, obesity would be “directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cases of cancer per year in the region”. The European Commission claims to have taken up the problem: “We have released 6 million euros in 2020 on the promotion of best nutrition practices”, emphasizes Donata Meroni, Head of the “Health Promotion” Unit. This manager insists on the strategy for sustainable food “from farm to plate”.
The rest is up to the national strategies of the Member States. The WHO recommends a whole series of measures: taxes on sodas and subsidies on recommended foods, restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy products, promotion of a balanced diet on online media, reinforcement of access to the activity physical and places of care for obesity and overweight… “These solutions are not applied enough. They are not used at all by half of the countries in Europe”regrets Doctor Francesco Branca, director of the WHO nutrition department.