According to the World Health Organization, 63 percent of men and 54 percent of women in European countries are overweight. Obesity is increasing among adolescents and children.
63 percent of men in Europe are overweight.
(dpa) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than half of adults in Europe are overweight. 59 percent of adults in the WHO European region were overweight or obese. The proportion of men is higher (63 percent) than women (54 percent), the WHO announced in Europe in its “European Obesity Report 2022” presented on Tuesday.
For adults, Germany was slightly below the average for the region. On the other hand, the differences between German women and men were more pronounced than elsewhere: the value for women was less than 50 percent and for men 65 percent. According to WHO information, the most recent European comparative values are from 2016.
According to WHO Europe, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or more are considered overweight, and those over 30 are considered obese. The BMI is calculated from height and weight.
More and more obese children and adolescents
Overweight and obesity rates have reached “epidemic proportions” across the WHO Europe region, the Copenhagen-based organization said. None of the 53 countries in this region are currently on track to meet the goal of halting the rise in obesity by 2025. The spread among adults is only higher on the American continents. In addition to the EU, the WHO also includes Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and other eastern states in its European region.
According to the WHO, overweight and obese people were disproportionately affected by the consequences of Covid-19 during the pandemic. Those affected had shown a higher risk of hospital admissions and deaths. Not only that, preliminary data suggested that obesity among children and adolescents is rising due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is partly due to changes in food consumption and a lack of physical activity during lockdown times.
Overweight and obesity (obesity) were generally among the leading causes of disability and death in the WHO European region, the report said. In some countries, obesity could even replace smoking as the main risk factor for cancer in the coming decades. Obesity can have various health consequences, including cancer, chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases, liver and kidney problems, but also mental problems and back pain.