Global Shift: From Underweight to Obesity Dominance in Three Decades Across Generations

Primary care practitioners should note a significant global shift from underweight to obesity dominance over the past three decades, as revealed by an analysis of 3663 population-based studies. This transition, evident since 1990 in adults and extending to children and adolescents by 2022, underscores the pressing need to address both ends of the malnutrition spectrum

Since the 1990s, obesity has emerged as a global epidemic, mirroring concerns about undernutrition. Both underweight and obesity carry serious health risks across the lifespan, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive nutrition and health policies [1]. However, comprehensive data on the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity are scarce. To address this gap, the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration conducted a study to estimate the prevalence of underweight and obesity individually and combined, and their changes, among individuals of all ages across 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2022

Main results

In Adults

• The prevalence of underweight has declined globally in both men and women, while obesity rates have risen.
• The combined prevalence of underweight and obesity has decreased in some countries but increased in the majority, particularly due to rising obesity rates.
• In 1990, underweight was more prevalent than obesity in many countries, but by 2022, the prevalence of obesity exceeded that of underweight in most.

In Children and Adolescents:

• Thinness rates have declined among both girls and boys, while obesity rates have surged.
• Similar to adults, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity has declined in some countries but increased in most.
• Many nations, especially in regions like Polynesia and Micronesia, now grapple with high rates of both thinness and obesity.

Conclusion