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.
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
The findings highlight a global trend towards a dual burden of malnutrition, with many countries transitioning from underweight to obesity dominance. This shift underscores the urgency of implementing policies and programs that address both forms of malnutrition. While progress has been made in some regions, challenges persist, particularly in enhancing access to healthy and nutritious foods while curbing the rise in obesity. Effective social, agricultural, and food programs are needed to promote healthy nutrition and combat the dual burden of malnutrition worldwide.
