Overweight and obesity are important health risks

Overweight and its more serious form, obesity, refer to the condition in which excess fat has accumulated in the body. This is caused by consuming more calories than the body needs. The problem is largely due to our ‘obesogenic’ environment. Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for a range of diseases and disorders. Obesity is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, certain cancers and osteoarthritis. Other conditions associated with obesity are infertility among women, mental problems such as depression and low self-esteem and sleep apnoea. Due to the growing problem of obesity, an increase in obesity-related morbidity and mortality is expected in the future.

Considerable variations in overweight prevalence among adults

The proportion of adults who are obese in the EU-25 ranges from less than 10% in Italy to more than 20% in Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, Germany, Hungary, Scotland (UK) and Slovakia. The proportion of adults who are overweight (including those who are obese) ranges from 36% of French women to more than 75% of German men. In all countries the prevalence of overweight is higher among men than among women, but obesity is generally higher among women than in men. There is clear evidence of increasing trends in overweight and obesity in the EU.

Childhood obesity is accelerating in many EU-countries

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in some EU-countries. Some southern European countries report overweight (including obesity) levels exceeding 30% among children aged 7-11. Rates of increase vary, with England and Poland showing the steepest increases. The epidemic of childhood obesity and overweight is accelerating in the EU.

An inverse association between obesity and socio-ecomic status

In many EU-countries there is a clear inverse association between obesity and socio-economic status. Especially in women, the prevalence of obesity is higher among low educated than among high educated people.

Some interventions have proven to be effective

Environmental interventions attempt to affect behavioural changes by modifying the external surroundings. The aim of such interventions is to prevent weight gain, without exclusive reliance on an individual’s knowledge or motivation. Many environmental factors have been cited as contributing to obesity. Still, there have been few controlled studies showing that changes in these factors will prevent weight gain.