The campaign led by World Obesity Day has called for a global response to this crisis, which affects 650 million people worldwide. The campaign is aiming to change the narrative of obesity, which is misperceived as a ‘simple lifestyle choice’.
Obesity is a chronic disease that affects one in four adults and one in five children aged ten to 11, in the UK. Causes of the disease can be genetic, psychological, sociocultural, economic and environmental.
The Food for Life’s State of the Nation report found as many as four in ten children leaving primary school are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2024.
Research found obesity is an increasing issue in the US, with an 11.9% rise in obese adults since 1999 and 2017/18 statistics highlighting 42.4% of US adults over 20 are obese.