events

World Obesity Day

Event on: 04 Mar, 2021

            World Obesity Day (March 4, 2021)

Factsheet:

  • Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975
  • More than 1.9 billion adults are overweight worldwide  
  • Over 650 million of these are obese
  • 38 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2019
  • Overweight and obesity are linked to more deaths worldwide than underweight
  • Obesity is preventable

 

Raised BMI is a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases including:

  • cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)
  • diabetes
  • musculoskeletal disorders and
  • cancer

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

Actions you can take for yourself to combat obesity:

  • know your body weight
  • maintaining a healthy weight
  • getting regular physical activity

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html

How can overweight and obesity be reduced?

At the individual level, people can:

  • limit energy intake from total fats and sugars;
  • increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nuts; and
  • engage in regular physical activity (60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes spread through the week for adults).