Nearly two-thirds of adults and one in three children in WHO's European member countries are overweight or obese, and these rates are increasing, the WHO warns in its new Obesity Report 2022. As a result, "none of the 53 Member States in the region is currently on track to meet the WHO global NCD target of halting the rise in obesity by 2025. Without recalling the health consequences in terms of morbi-mortality (4th rank of mortality risk factors after hypertension and smoking), particularly cardiovascular and metabolic, oncological (no less than 13 neoplasia related to obesity). Obesity could overtake smoking as the main risk factor for preventable cancer in the coming decades and could be directly responsible for at least 200,000 new cases of cancer per year in the region. Overweight and obesity are also the leading risk factor for disability, accounting for 7% of total years lived with disability in Europe.
According to the report, the prevalence of obesity among European adults is higher than any other WHO region, after America. The most recent data highlight that overweight and obesity are responsible for more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide each year, or more than 13% of overall mortality in the region, although these figures may be underestimated. Prevalence levels are higher in men (63%) than in women (54%), in patients with low levels of education, and in the highest income, Mediterranean and Eastern European countries.
The Covid-19 pandemic has unsurprisingly accelerated this. Patients with obesity are at greater risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, and many of these patients have experienced disruptions in access to dedicated obesity services. In addition, there is evidence that individuals have been more exposed to the risk factors for obesity, physical inactivity, or unbalanced diet.
The report recommends a series of interventions and policy options for Member States. Obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease that requires specific management. Interventions must be comprehensive, reaching individuals across the lifespan, and targeting inequalities. Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe says, "By creating more supportive environments, encouraging health investments and innovation, and developing strong and resilient health systems, we can change the trajectory of obesity in the region." WHO recommends a comprehensive set of interventions, "a single policy will not work," adds Dr. Kremlin Wickramasinghe, head of WHO's European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, and the originator of this European report. "Restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, and improving the health system response to obesity management are currently among the most actively discussed areas for action in the WHO European Region."
