This post originally appeared on EquityBlog and was written by Rajni Banthia, a senior associate with the PolicyLink Center for Health and Place
The obesity crisis is spreading worldwide. Obesity and related chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer- once deemed the preserve of industrialized nations - are now major health problems in developing countries as well. In 2000, the world’s population reached a milestone when for the first time in recorded history, the number of adults with excess weight surpassed the number of those who are underweight.
More after the jump....
According to the World Health Organization, in 2005 400 million people worldwide were clinically obese. By 2015, that number is estimated to surge to 700 million.
In many lower- and middle-income countries, such as Mexico or India, under-nutrition and infectious diseases are being replaced by diseases of over-nutrition — such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Obesity is growing fastest in up-and-coming countries, and almost half of those who die from chronic disease are still in their productive years. Moreover, health disparities are widespread and the consequences are not equally distributed, as death rates for chronic illness are greater in lower-income than higher-income populations.
This growing epidemic is yet another example of a potential pitfall of globalization. For better and worse, international trade, population migration, technological advances, as well as changes in the production, marketing, and availability of consumer goods have brought about continuous and rapid lifestyle changes.
In terms of the implications of globalization for health, residents of poorer countries are becoming increasingly sedentary, using more tobacco and alcohol, and eating less healthy foods. Rising obesity rates are an unfortunate side effect of industrialization and an ironic symbol of successful development.
Driven by loss of output, reduced productivity, and increased health-care costs, the global costs of obesity could swell into the trillions of dollars. Income loss in China alone could exceed $550 billion, according to the WHO. As for long-term human costs, if obesity trends are not curbed, life expectancy may start to drop after it has finally begun to rise in many emerging countries. Due to the rapid rise of obesity in the US, for the first time in modern history, a baby born today has a shorter life expectancy than his or her parents.
The current rise in prices of commodities — including fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products — will only make matters worse and contribute to declining health. When trying to feed their families on a limited budget, an increasing number of folks are turning to newly available processed foods, which are cheaper and energy dense but nutrient poor.
So what can we do about this health crisis? Most of the world has not and will not ever step inside a gym or go on a diet, so lifestyle oriented changes are in order. Obesity is a demonstration of environmental influences, and behavior change has rarely been achieved by education or individual focused approaches alone. Agriculture must be harnessed to produce enough healthy food to meet the demands of the world’s growing population. The reduction of detrimental subsidies, return of traditional subsistence farming, and the birth of urban community gardens are all promising strategies.
But without concentrated efforts to fight back, the obesity epidemic that is swamping America may soon swamp the world.
Photo from Flickr user Futhart, used under a Creative Commons license.