The World Health Organization has disclosed that a new study released by The Lancet, a medical journal, shows that more than one billion people in the world are considered obese.
Obesity among adults has reportedly doubled since 1990, has quadrupled among children and adolescents aged five to 19 yers.

The Lancet data also revealed that 43 percet of adults were overweight in 2022.

According to the study, the rates of undernutrition have dropped but there remained a public health challenge in many countries, particularly those in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan AFrica.

“Countries with the highest combined rates of underweight and obesity in 2022 were island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean and those in the Middle East and North Africa,” WHO reported.

According to health experts malnutrition include undernutrition, inadequate vitamins and minerals, overweight and obesity.

On the other hand, undernutrition is responsible for half of the deaths of children under 5 and obesity can cause noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers.

WHO has contributed to the data collection and analysis of this study. The full dataset is now also disseminated through the Global Health Observatory.

Global Health Observatory
The GHO data repository is WHO's gateway to health-related statistics for its 194 Member States. It provides acc...

“This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood, through diet, physical activity, and adequate care, as needed,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“Getting back on track to meet the global targets for curbing obesity will take the work of governments and communities, supported by evidence-based policies from WHO and national public health agencies. Importantly, it requires the cooperation of the private sector, which must be accountable for the health impacts of their products,” he explained.

Obesity is a complex chronic disease, WHO said.

However, the number of cases has multiplied notwithstanding the fact that its causes and interventions are well understood. This is because they are not implemented.

To date, 31 governments are now leading the way to curb the obesity epidemic by implementing the plan.

WHO recommended the following core interventions :

actions to support healthy practices from day 1, including breastfeeding promotion, protection and support;


regulations on the harmful marketing of food and beverages to children;

school food and nutrition policies, including initiatives to regulate the sales of products high in fats, sugars and salt in proximity of schools;

fiscal and pricing policies to promote healthy diets;

nutrition labelling policies;

public education and awareness campaigns for healthy diets and exercise;

standards for physical activity in schools; and

integration of obesity prevention and management services into primary health care.

"There are significant challenges in implementing policies aimed at ensuring affordable access to healthy diets for all and creating environments that promote physical activity and overall healthy lifestyles for everyone," stressed Dr Francesco Branca, Director of WHO’s Nutrition and Food Safety Department and one of the co-authors of the study.

He added: ”Countries should also ensure that health systems integrate the prevention and management of obesity into the basic package of services."