The World is Fat: Obesity is an Expanding Problem
BY: LUCY WEILAND
It’s on the news and making headlines all the time. Our waistlines are always on our minds: at the grocery store, in restaurants, at the gym, or even just sitting at home. “Do I look fat in this?” “I should go to the gym today… Or I could eat this pint of ice cream instead.” “Oh no… Did I really eat that whole thing?”
Medical complications of Obesity
Image/CDC
It’s clear that the obesity problem isn’t going away — in truth, it’s getting worse. Children and adults alike are impacted by obesity every day. So how bad is the problem, and what can we do about it?
We’ve reached a point where there are countries on our planet with 50%, 60%, and even 70% overweight/obesity rates. The United States is the fattest developed country on Earth, if you put Mexico in the ranks of a developing nation (FAO) — and U.S. obesity rates are projected to swell from nearly one in three people to over two in five by 2030. With our expanding waistlines comes increased strain on our health and therefore on our wallets.
The government and relevant organizations have been working on game plans to combat this problem. There are simple solutions on an individual level, but what about public awareness? What about sweeping change on an international scale?
This infographic explains the extent of the trouble of global obesity, as well as what might be done to improve the current state of affairs. It’s clear that a push for improved health education is among the necessary steps to revitalize the health of the world’s citizens.
