obesity has reached “epidemic dimensions” all over Europe and, according to an important report by the World Health Organization, causes 1.2 million deaths annually.
Almost 60 percent of adults and almost every third child in school age on the entire continent are overweight or obese, warned the European WHO office on Tuesday.
In its first study on general obesity in 15 years, the WHO said that overweight and obesity rates have increased by 138 percent in the past five decades, with an increase of 21 percent between 2006 and 2016.
The United Kingdom is at the top of the list - only Turkey, Malta and Israel have poorer obese rates among their adults.
"Obesight and obesity rates have accepted epidemic proportions throughout the region and still escalate," said Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe.
obesity and obesity cause more than 1.2 million deaths in the entire region every year - the fourth most common cause of high blood pressure, nutritional risks and tobacco - and corresponds to more than 13 percent of deaths.
obesity is associated with a variety of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, heart diseases and at least 13 types of cancer. According to the report, obesity in Europe is directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cancer cases, whereby this number will probably increase in the coming decades.
OVERGITY AND OBOSITAS are also the main risk factors for disabilities and cause seven percent of the entire life of life with disabilities.
A body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, from 30 as obesity.
"Distribution of sitting online games"
The reports' authors said that fast food and "cheaper, energy -rich and less nutritional food" promoted obesity rates together with an increasingly sitting lifestyle.
The WHO, however, warned that the causes are more complex than just an unhealthy nutrition and lack of exercise. It says that "environmental factors that are unique for life in the highly digitized societies of modern Europe are also drivers of obesity", such as the online marketing of unhealthy foods on children and the "spread of seating online".
According to reports, families are also difficult to do sports because the areas became more urbanized and the distances between apartment and school, work and business have increased, which leads to a greater dependence on transportation.dr. Kluge said it was still possible to reverse the obesity epidemic in Europe by creating an environment that is "more beneficial, promoting investments and innovations in healthcare and developing strong and resistant health systems".
obesity and obesity were higher in the entire region and in most countries in men (63 percent) than in women (54 percent), whereby prevalence in men in Andorra, Israel and Malta exceeded 70 percent.
However, the severe obesity - classified as a BMI of at least 35 - tripled in women in just three years, from 1.5 percent in 2017 to 4.5 percent in 2019.
in Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom are an estimated more than 20 percent of women fatal if they become pregnant. Pregnant women with obesity have an increased risk of miscarriages, excessive weight gain during pregnancy, pregnancy diabetes, hypertensive pregnancy disorders, stillbirths and postpartum bleeding.
Healthy habit strategies
People who live with obesity also suffer serious consequences of Covid-19, including the instruction in the intensive care unit and death, added the report.
"Preliminary evidence indicates that many of the restrictions in connection with the containment of pandemic, including school closures and times of limited population movements, have led to increased exposure to some of the risk factors that affect the probability of a person, to develop obesity or overweight," said Dr. Kluge.
The study asked the governments to introduce long -term strategies to improve healthy habits. It was said that other governments should follow Britain-which will introduce laws in October that limit prominent positioning and multiple purchase advertising for unhealthy products.
also called for a sugar tax, a ban on online advertising for unhealthy food for children and the limitation of the spread of snack bars into low-income quarters. The report suggested that healthy eating as a "strategy to achieve collective measures against climate change" in order to also reduce obesity in teenagers.
None of the 53 European countries is on the right track to achieve the goal of stopping the increase in obesity by 2025.
The WHO told the Telegraph: "If we cannot reverse these trends, too many people will continue to die too early in life or spend their last years with a disability. Governments still have the opportunity to reverse these trends, but time to act is now."
The European region of the WHO comprises 53 countries, including several in Central Asia.
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