A study published in the medical journal Lancet found that the United States is the fattest nation in the world, and it’s not even close.
According to the study, 87 million of the world’s 671 million obese individuals live in the United States, meaning that a country with 5 percent of the world’s population boasts 13 percent of the world’s obese. While the numbers are concerning, the US isn’t the only country where waistlines are bulging. Research shows that obesity rates are increasing among men, women, and children, and in rich and poor countries.
“It’s going up everywhere,” says study co-author Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington-Seattle. “The most concerning thing is that there’s not a single country that has seen a decline in obesity in the past thirty years. … We hoped there would be some examples of success that you could latch onto. But there’s a complete lack of success stories in bringing down obesity.
Fat Findings
The study tracked health patterns and obesity rates in 188 countries over the past several decades. After analyzing the data, researchers found:
- Obesity is more common in developed nations than in poorer countries, but it’s rising in both.
- The number of overweight and obese individuals increased from 857 million to 2.1 billion over the last 33 years.
- Nearly 1/3 of adults in the US are overweight, while another third are obese.
- Obesity rates are over 50 percent among men in Tonga and women in Kuwait, Libya, Qatar, Samoa and Tonga.
- 24 percent of boys and 22 percent of girls in developed countries are overweight or obese.
- Some possible causes of obesity in the US and in other countries include increased calorie intake, changes in diet, and decreased physical activity.
Another theory proposed by a related study suggests that the cheap availability of fast food and unhealthy food options also plays a role in the rising obesity rate.
“It’s not just cheaper in terms of money. It’s also more accessible and more available all the time in the form of prepackaged junky food that is not necessarily conducive to health,” says Roland Sturm, co-author of the related study.
Dr. Silverman comments
The prevalence of cheap and unhealthy foods may make it easier for poorer individuals to get their hands on fatty foods, but they are still making the conscious decision to put that junk in their bodies. There are plenty of ways to eat healthy on a budget. It’s all about making smart choices and planning ahead. Oftentimes fast food is picked up on a whim or during a road trip. If you plan a healthy meal in advance, you won’t have the urge to stop off for a McChicken.
The study also supposed that decreased physical activity is to blame. I’d like to see a study to see if handheld devices and social media have played a role in decreased physical activity. Instead of getting outside and playing, kids seem more apt to hunker down in front of an iPad or Tweet out spoilers to the movie marathon they are watching.
Make healthy food choices, and get outside and exercise. Really, it’s that simple.
Related source: USA Today