In these countries most often suffer from obesity

Although obesity in itself is not a specific disease, it becomes a breeding ground for certain diseases and conditions of health. Obesity is diagnosed if the body mass index of a person exceeds 30. Every year, due to excess weight, approximately 3.4 million adults die. The growth of obesity around the world is gradual, albeit constant.

According to a study in 2014, the number of obese people around the world reaches a billion. That is twice as much as it was 20 years ago.

Correlation of the economy and obesity

Countries in which most people suffer from obesity are not necessarily the richest or the most developed.

For example, the United States and Great Britain are 12th and 27th in the CIA's World Factbook.

This fact suggests that there is no direct link between obesity and the economic status of the country. In fact, small countries such as Naur, Marshall Islands, Kuwait, Samoa, Palau, etc., accounted for the top 10.

According to the findings of the World Health Organization, food shortages and rising prices are also responsible for obesity in underdeveloped countries such as Venezuela, where it is difficult for people to maintain a balanced and healthy diet.

They try to fill their diet with empty calories, food rubbish or fried foods.

Obesity among adults in America

Although the United States is not the most obese country in the world, but still continue to lead in such lists.

At the same time, most other countries that are at the top of the list have a small territory and are sparsely populated.

Mexico and the US continue to lead the list of countries with the largest number of obese people in North America. In the United States, 35% of the adult population is obese.

Almost 78 million adults and 13 million children in the US face daily health problems and the emotional consequences of obesity.

According to the CDC, a middle-aged adult is now 12 kilograms heavier than in the 1950s.

The main causes of obesity in Mexico are the available processed foods, which contain a lot of calories, as well as poor education of the population in nutrition.

Here, 27.6% of the country's population suffers from obesity. These problems began in the 1980s, when vegetables and whole grains began to replace processed foods.

Over the past 5 years, Mexico has taken steps to reduce the level of obesity.

Rating of countries that have problems with obesity

As indicated above, this list is headed by small Pacific island peoples, such as Samoa, Tonga and Kiribati.

About four out of five citizens of these countries are obese or overweight.

The reason is that these island states import almost all food, and therefore the prices for food are very high. On the other hand, fast food chains offer cheaper and more convenient options.

Not far from these countries are the Middle Eastern countries, such as Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Thick people here make up 75% of the population, and more than a third suffer from obesity.

The reasons for this situation are, on the one hand, a hot climate, which does not contribute to natural exercises (such as walking, for example).

On the other hand, in recent years fast food restaurants are becoming more popular here. In addition, traditionally people eat from large common plates, which prevents to monitor the size of portions.

The African continent has no big problems with obesity, except perhaps South Africa. Now this country is trying to lead a Western way of life, which is bad for the weight of its population.

Age and gender

In countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada, obesity is almost 25% prevalent among men aged 18 and over.

In countries of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, obesity is almost twice as common among women.

Studies show that a certain role in this situation is played by economic and social factors.

In countries devastated by war, such as Syria, women have to stay at home all the time, because they do not have the means to play sports or active recreation.

In 2013, 42 million children under the age of 5 who were obese were registered.

The good news is that the problems associated with being overweight are reversible. Today, the world is serious about the problem of obesity and is striving to create a program to control and prevent this trend.