Obesity rates severely increased between 1990 and 2022 while rates of underweight people decreased in most countries, according to a new study, and the researchers believe access to more nutritious foods is the key to simultaneously decreasing obesity while tackling the remaining rates of underweight.
Obesity rates among U.S. women more than doubled from 21.2% in 1990 to 43.8% in 2022, while obesity rates among men soared from 16.9% in 1990 to 41.6% in 2022, putting the U.S. at No. 36 for highest female obesity rates and the 10th highest for male obesity rates. The U.K. ranked 87th for highest female obesity rates and 55th for highest male obesity rates, and China ranked the 11th lowest for women and the 52nd lowest for men .
Childhood obesity rates in the U.S. increased from 11.6% to 19.4% in girls—the 22nd highest—and from 11.5% to 21.7% in boys, making it the 26th-highest country. The U.K. ranked 72nd for highest childhood obesity rates among girls and 91st among boys, while China ranked 99th lowest for girls and 70th highest for boys.to the World Health Organization. Climate change, the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine could potentially be causing a rise in malnutrition “by increasing poverty and the cost of nutrient-rich foods,” Guha Pradeepa, study co-author from the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, said in a statement.