WHO recognition of the global obesity epidemic

The recognition of obesity as a disease was in theory established in 1948 by WHO's (World Health Organization) taking on the International Classification of Diseases but the early highlighting of the potential public health problem in the United States and the United Kingdom 35 years ago was co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Obesity 2008-12, Vol.32 (7S), p.S120-S126
Main Author: James, W.P.T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Cardiovascular Diseases - prevention & control
chronic diseases
Conscientious objectors
Cost of Illness
Developing countries
disease outbreaks
disease prevalence
disease prevention
Energy
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Exercise
Food
Food systems
Global Health
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Humans
Internal Medicine
International aspects
LDCs
literature reviews
Medical research
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Medicine, Experimental
Metabolic Diseases
Metabolism
Middle age
Nutrients
nutritional adequacy
Obesity
Obesity - complications
Obesity - epidemiology
Pan American Health Organization
physical activity
Public Health
review
World Health Organization
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Summary:The recognition of obesity as a disease was in theory established in 1948 by WHO's (World Health Organization) taking on the International Classification of Diseases but the early highlighting of the potential public health problem in the United States and the United Kingdom 35 years ago was considered irrelevant elsewhere. The medical profession disregarded obesity as important despite the new evidence and WHO data set out in the 1980s. Only in 1995 did WHO find greater problems of overweight than underweight in many developing countries but it required the first special obesity consultation in 1997 and particularly the Millennium burden of disease analyses to suddenly highlight its crucial role in the current unmanageable and escalating medical costs globally. Governments now recognize the overwhelming industrial developments that guarantee an escalating epidemic but neither they nor WHO know how to engage in changing the societal framework to promote routine spontaneous physical activity and a transformation of the food system so that low energy-density food of high nutrient quality becomes the norm.
ISSN:0307-0565
1476-5497
DOI:10.1038/ijo.2008.247