U.S makes WHO’s short list of Worlds Most Obese Countries
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Being named one of the World Health Organization ten most obese countries has got to bruise the national ego. What is more, of the 10 countries to gain this robust reputation only 2, Kuwait and the United States are non-Pacific Island nations. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention there has been a dramatic increase in the rate of obesity in the United States over the past 20 years. So much so that in 2006 only four states had an obesity prevalence of less than 20%. It seems that being obese is about as American as apple pie. |
So, why are so many Americans obese? When we compare American statistics to Canadian statistics, Canadian obesity while also on the rise has not reached the epic proportions found in the United States. Canada is currently ranked 35th on WHO’s list. Pretty dismal considering most of Canada is covered in ice and snow for 6 months of the year! Is the cause genetic, social, environmental, socio-economic or cultural? WHO points to the shift in diet towards energy dense foods high in fat and sugars but low in micro nutrients, an overall decrease in physical activity due to sedentary forms of work, reliable transportation and urbanization as causes of obesity.
WHO estimates that there are currently 1.6 billion overweight adults in the world, a number that is projected to increase by another 40% within 10 years. The population of the United States is 301,139,947 (estimated in July 2007) and 74.1% of American’s are overweight or obese. This means that approximately 223,144,701 people in America are facing very serious obesity related health consequences such as heart attack, stroke, diabetes and hypertension.
In general the classification of “overweight” and “obese” are based on individual Body Mass Index or BMI. Body Mass Index is the most widely used tool to determine healthy body weight. BMI measures your weight relative to your height and provides you with a numeric measurement. People are considered overweight if they have a BMI equal or greater than 25, while the term obese applies to people with a BMI of 30 or more.
Just in case you were curious here is a list of the 10 most obese countries and some links to other related articles.
| Country | % of population considered overweight or obese |
Description |
| 1. Nauru | 94.5% | A small island in the Pacific |
| 2. Micronesia | 91.1% | A small island nation between Hawaii and Indonesia |
| 3. The Cook Islands | 90.9% | Of a population of approximately 14,000, roughly 13,000 are obese |
| 4. Tonga | 90.8% | Tongans are genetically predisposed to gaining weight |
| 5. Niue | 81.7% | Another remote South Pacific Island. Here obesity is seen as a sign of wealth |
| 6. Samoa | 80.4% | Biological anthropologists believe that Samoans genetics favour calorie storage as fat tissue. This type of trait is prevalent in communities that have historically experienced food shortages |
| 7. Palau | 91.1% | Another island. Obesity here is attributed to lack of availability of fresh fruits and vegetables |
| 8. Kuwait | 74.2% | One of only 2 countries not in located in the South Pacific. Kuwait has the highest number of overweight people of all Arab nations. Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death |
| 9. United States of America | 74.1% | It is estimated that 237 million Americans are currently overweight |
| 10. Kiribati | 73.6% | A cluster of 33 islands in the South Pacific with few natural resources. Kiribati’s problem with obesity can be rooted back to their reliance on high fat imports and little availability of fruits and vegetables |
World Health Organization, Obesity and Overweight, September, 2006. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/index.html (April 7, 2008)
Tags: Obesity
