According to new data released in Prague at the European Congress on Obesity, this problem is most acute in Ireland: by 2030, 89% of Irish men and 85% of women will be obese or overweight. In Britain, the figures are slightly lower: 74% of men and 64% of women, compared to 70% and 59% in 2010.
The problem of excess weight is equally acute in Greece, Spain, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Even in Sweden, where traditionally very few people are obese, this problem will manifest itself in the near future.
The Netherlands represents a rare exception. In 2010, 54% of Dutch men were overweight, and 10% fell into the obese category. According to the WHO report, these figures will most likely decline – to 49% and 8% respectively.
As BBC notes, 'overweight' is determined by Body Mass Index (BMI), which assesses the degree of correspondence between a person's body weight and height. According to the WHO classification, a person with excess weight has a BMI from 25 to 29.9. If the BMI exceeds 30, then a diagnosis of 'obesity' is made. In the new WHO report, the category of overweight people included those with early-stage obesity.
British newspapers quote Laura Weber, co-author of the report from the UK Health Forum: 'Despite the fact that there is no simple solution to this epidemic, governments must do more to limit advertising of unhealthy products and make healthy food prices more affordable.' In particular, this refers to regulating advertising of snacks for children, reducing prices through subsidies on fruits and vegetables, and increasing prices on unhealthy food by introducing a special tax, for example on sugary drinks. Also, according to the expert, semi-finished and fast food products should contain less sugar and fat.