More than a billion obese people in the world

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), besides 800 million undernourished people now have more than one billion overweight adults and among them, at least 300 million people are living with the problem of obesity.

A conference to discuss treatment and prevention for this modern disease is taking place in Boston, USA (from October 20 to 24).

WHO claims obesity also appeared in some African countries. In China, overweight and obesity can be up to 20% of the population in some cities. Meanwhile, this rate in some urban areas in Samoa exceeded 75%.

Obese adults and children in the US (Photo: TTO)

In the US, 30% of adults are obese (60 million people). In Europe, the UK tops the list with 23% of obese people. This situation also increased steadily in children. Worldwide, 22 million children aged five years and under are overweight. According to a recent report released by the American Institute of Health, if this trend continues, by 2010, one in five American children will be obese.

The rate of obese children is also at an alarming rate in Europe, where there are more than 14 million overweight children. This situation will lead to a future generation of obese youth. Portuguese Health Minister Antonio Correia de Campos expressed concern that 50% of the country's population will be obese by 2025 when today, more than 30% of 9-16 year olds are overweight and obese, tripled in the last 10 years. Obesity is also a problem for developing countries.

In Thailand, within two years, the rate of obesity in children aged 5-12 years has increased from 12.2% to 15.6%. According to WHO calculations, a person is considered obese when body mass index (based on body weight and height) higher than 30, overweight people have an index ranging from 25-30.

During the 10th international conference on obesity held in Sydney (Australia), experts identified obesity as a pandemic that cannot be underestimated around the world, by nutritional habits and Passive lifestyles in rich Western countries are spreading to the rest of the world.

Accordingly, people in these places become dependent on the diet, which is too rich in sugar and bad fats as well as physical activities are increasingly reduced, while this is one of the main causes of obesity. and then there are chronic, difficult-to-treat diseases such as second-degree diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, stroke and some types of cancer.

Currently, 2,000 researchers from many countries around the world are attending the annual conference on obesity-related issues in Boston, USA. During the four days (October 20 to October 24), the conference will announce 250/800 studies on the treatment and prevention of obesity, including studies on surgical procedures to treat obesity in different ways. The most advanced solution. The work of researchers from Asia, especially Korea, has attracted the attention of the conference.

GERMANY SCHOOL