12.5 mn children, teens in India obese in 2022: Lancet study

About 125 million children aged between five and 19 in India were overweight in 2022 according to a global analysis published in The Lancet journalOf the 125 73 million were boys and 52 million girlsThe total number of children adolescents and adults worldwide living with obesity has surpassed one billion These trends together with the declining prevalence of people who are underweight since 1990 make obesity the most common form of malnutrition in most countries the researchers saidObesity and underweight are both forms of malnutrition and are detrimental to peoples health in many ways The latest study provides a highly detailed picture of global trends in both forms of malnutrition over the last 33 yearsThe analysis by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration NCDRisC a global network of scientists and the World Health Organization WHO estimates that among the worlds children and adolescents the rate of obesity in 2022 was four times the rate in 1990It is very concerning that the epidemic of obesity that was evident among adults in much of the world in 1990 is now mirrored in schoolaged children and adolescents said senior author Professor Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London in the UKAt the same time hundreds of millions are still affected by undernutrition particularly in some of the poorest parts of the world To successfully tackle both forms of malnutrition it is vital we significantly improve the availability and affordability of healthy nutritious foods Ezzati saidAmong adults the global obesity rate more than doubled in women and nearly tripled in men In total 159 million children and adolescents and 879 million adults were living with obesity in 2022 according to the studyIn India adult obesity rate increased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 98 per cent in 2022 for women and 05 per cent to 54 per cent for men Nearly 44 million women and 26 million men had obesity in 2022Between 1990 and 2022 the proportion of the worlds children and adolescents who were affected by underweight fell by around onefifth in girls and more than onethird in boys The proportion of the worlds adults who were affected by being underweight more than halved over the same periodThe obesity rate increased from 01 per cent in 1990 to 31 per cent in 2022 for girls and 01 per cent to 39 per cent in 2022 for boysThe researchers analysed weight and height measurements from over 220 million people aged five years or older 63 million people aged five to 19 years and 158 million aged 20 years or older representing more than 190 countriesOver 1500 researchers contributed to the study which looked at body mass index BMI to understand how obesity and underweight have changed worldwide from 1990 to 2022From 1990 to 2022 global obesity rates more than quadrupled in girls and boys with increases seen in almost all countries the study foundThe proportion of underweight girls fell from 103 per cent in 1990 to 82 per cent in 2022 and for boys it fell from 167 per cent to 108 per cent the researchers saidAmong girls a decrease in the rates of underweight was detected in 44 countries whilst among boys a decrease was noted in 80 countries they saidThe total number of children and adolescents who were affected by obesity in 2022 was nearly 160 million 65 million girls and 94 million boys compared to 31 million in 1990 Whereas 77 million girls and 108 million boys were underweight in 2022 decreasing from 81 million for girls and 138 million for boys in 1990In adults obesity rates more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022 The proportion of adults who were underweight halved between 1990 and 2022In all age groups the combined burden of both forms of malnutrition increased in most countries between 1990 and 2022 driven by increasing obesity ratesHowever the double burden of malnutrition declined in many countries in South and Southeast Asia and in some countries in Africa for men where the rate of underweight fell steeplyThe impact of issues such as climate change disruptions caused by the COVID19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine risk worsening both rates of obesity and underweight by increasing poverty and the cost of nutrientrich foods said Guha Pradeepa study coauthor from the Madras Diabetes Research FoundationThe knockon effects of this are insufficient food in some countries and households and shifts to less healthy foods in others To create a healthier world we need comprehensive policies to address these challenges Pradeepa saidIn total an estimated nearly 880 million adults were living with obesity in 2022 504 million women and 374 million men four and a half times the 195 million recorded in 1990 128 million women and 67 million men the researchers saidCombined with the 159 million children living with obesity in 2022 this is a total of over one billion people affected by obesity in 2022Despite global population growth 183 million women and 164 million men were affected by underweight in 2022 45 million and 48 million fewer respectively than in 1990Overall these trends have led to a transition where in most countries a larger number of people are affected by obesity than being underweightIn 2022 obesity rates were higher than rates of underweight for girls and boys in around two thirds of the worlds countries 133 countries for girls and 125 countries for boysThis 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 WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom GhebreyesusGetting back on track to meet the global targets for curbing obesity will take the work of governments and communities supported by evidencebased 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 Ghebreyesus said in a statementThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed 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