According to World Obesity Atlas 2022, published by World Obesity Federation, obesity is expected to reach approximately 30% (1 in 3) of Brazil’s adult population by 2030.
Research showed the projection for the country for the next eight years of people living with obesity:
- 33% of women
- 26% of men
- 23% of children between 5 and 9 years old
- 16% of children and adolescents between 10 and 19 years old
National Health Survey (2020) showed that 1 in 4 Brazilians is obese, in a total of more than 41 million people. In 2021, 9.1 million adults were already diagnosed as overweight, and more than 4 million with obesity.
The pandemic has increased obesity in Brazil
In the last two years, the world population had to adapt to the new reality, and it was no different in the Brazilian capitals.
In a recent article, Professor Erika Reis from the School of Nutrition at the Federal University of Ouro Preto explained that social distancing made people change their routines and the home environment and all other daily tasks. People started to cook more but to fit their schedules and other tasks. Therefore, the presence of ultra-processed products in the routine of the population has increased even more. Alcoholic beverages also gained more space on the household tables.
Another point in the study shows that stress, anxiety, and depression are associated with changes in food intake. These are conditions that, in general, cause food intake to be increased. During the pandemic this happened even more sharply, taking into account an important impact on people’s mental health.
In another study by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) measured all countries preparedness for the high levels of obesity that may happen, using available evidence of a country’s health systems.
The Americas region has a wide spread of preparedness scores, with Canada being the most prepared and Haiti the least prepared. Brazil got only the 10th place on the most prepared countries, which can be a worrying situation if the obesity projections come true by 2030.
In Brazil, the Ministry of Health, through the Unified Health System, encourages and supports the implementation of care lines for obese and overweight people. These actions involve support from multidisciplinary teams, activities related to the promotion of adequate and healthy food, and the practice of physical activity in the public health system. The solution involves programs and public policies for prevention and care.
Main photo: By copa2014.gov.br - Brazil beat Croatia in World Cup opening match, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33408364
Ótima matéria. Desejo que nós brasileiros tenhamos consciência e condições de criar e manter os hábitos saudáveis.