Obesity: Alarming estimates for adults and children
The global threat of obesity also lingers in Greece, where four in 10 adults and almost one in four children and teenagers will be obese by 2035 if preventive measures aren’t taken to offset the current trends, according to the World Obesity Atlas for 2023 published on Thursday by the World Obesity Federation.
More specifically, in its predictions for Greece, it said that in 12 years, 39% of adults will be obese compared to 29% in 2020 (42% of men and 36% of women).
For children and adolescents, the proportion of obese people will increase from 12% in 2020 to 18% in 2035 for girls and from 19% to 27% for boys.
Furthermore, the Atlas, published on the occasion of World Obesity Day, estimates that if the upward trend in obesity continues, annual medical costs for treating obesity-related problems will reach $1.45 billion in 12 years from an estimated $1.26 billion today.
“Obesity is a global problem, but different regions face distinct challenges and priorities. Once considered a problem for the most developed countries, obesity is increasing on every continent, with the largest increases now occurring in South Asia and parts of Africa, areas where previously there was little prevalence,” said Georgios Panotopoulos, president of the Hellenic Association for the Study of Obesity, Metabolism and Eating Disorders.
