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Wealthier nations have higher obesity rates

Wednesday 21st December 2011
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Richer countries have higher rates of obesity, according to a new study by a team of researchers in Michigan.

Whilst many wealthier states enjoy a plethora of benefits and better standards of living due to better economies, the waistlines of their inhabitants continue to grow. Countries such as the UK and US have high rates of childhood obesity with the US leading the way in terms of the number of fast food chains and easy access to high-fat foods.

Doctors and researchers at the University of Michigan studied 26 wealthy nations and found that those with a higher density of fast food restaurants per capita had a higher rate of overweight and obese people. In the US alone there is an average of 7.52 fast food places per 100,000 people whereas in Japan the figure was only 0.13 per capita.

Roberto De Vogli, associate professor in the U-M School of Public Health, and lead researcher of the study, said: "It's not by chance that countries with the highest obesity rates and fast food restaurants are those in the forefront of market liberalisation, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, versus countries like Japan and Norway, with more regulated and restrictive trade policies."

With the increased amount of establishments in the US it has meant that 31.3 per cent of men and 33.2 per cent of women are obese when compared to a country like Norway which only had 0.19 restaurants per capita whose obesity in men and women is 6.4 per cent and 5.9 per cent respectively.

In 2007 the government-commissioned Foresight report predicted that if no action was taken, 60 per cent of men, 50 per cent of women and 25 per cent of children would be obese by 2050 in the UK. Currently the Health Survey for England data shows that nearly one in four adults and over one in ten children aged between two and ten are obese.

Mr De Vogli added: "In my opinion the public debate is too much focused on individual genetics and other individual factors, and overlooks the global forces in society that are shaping behaviours worldwide. If you look at trends overtime for obesity, it's shocking."

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written by James Puckle.ADNFCR-1780-ID-801246585-ADNFCR

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