Report says more than a billion people obese worldwide
Listen to the story (American accent)
The Lancet, a science journal, reports that over a billion people worldwide live with obesity. This includes 880 million adults and 159 million kids, based on data from 2022.
Obesity can cause serious health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
The highest obesity rates are in Tonga and American Samoa for women, and American Samoa and Nauru for men, where 70-80% of adults are obese.
Looking at obesity rates in other countries, the UK is ranked 55th highest for men and 87th for women out of about 190 countries. The US is 10th highest for men and 36th highest for women.
India is 19th lowest for women and 21st lowest for men. China is 11th lowest for women and 52nd lowest for men.
In many island nations, there is not enough affordable, healthy food available. Sometimes, there is also a lot of promotion for unhealthy foods, but not healthy foods.
The report uses data from 1990 to 2022. It found that obesity rates have quadrupled among kids and teens. For adults, the rate has more than doubled in women and almost tripled in men.
However, the number of underweight adults has decreased by 50%. This is still a big problem, especially in poor areas.
Global issues could make things worse. Climate change, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine could make healthy food more expensive and harder to get.
More than 1,500 researchers worked on this report with the WHO. They studied about 220 million people aged five and over.
Vocabulary30 words
- Science
- Studying how the world, nature and life work; the study of the nature and behavior of natural things and the knowledge that we obtain about them
- Journal
- A special kind of magazine that scientists use to share their findings; a book or website where experts share new information;
- Report
- to tell other people about something; to share information; announce; explain
- Billion
- 1,000,000,000 = one-billion
- Worldwide
- all around the world; everywhere in the world
- Obesity
- a medical condition in which someone has too much body fat, which can lead to health problems; the state or condition of being very fat or overweight
- Include
- to contain; incorporate; to be part of; to have something smaller as a part of it; come with
- Million
- 1,000,000 = one-million
- Based on
- related to; derived from; inspired by;
- Data
- Information or facts that are collected and stored/kept
- Cause
- make something (usually bad) happen; create
- Cancer
- a disease in which some of the body's cells grow uncontrollably and spread to other parts of the body
- Rate
- the amount of something; the number of times something happens in a particular period; percentage; figures
- Obesity rate
- How many people are obese in a certain place;
- Rank
- To put things in order from the best to the worst or from the most important to the least important
- Available
- able to be used: ready for use; accessible
- Promotion
- Advertising something to make people want it; When you tell people about something to make it popular;
- Report
- a written description of an event; story; article; the results of a study or project
- Find
- realize; learn; discover;
- Quadruple
- four times more; 4x; 300% more
- Double
- two times more; 2x; 100% more
- Triple
- three times more; 3x; 200% more
- Underweight
- When someone weighs less than what's healthy for their height; too skinny
- Decrease
- to go down; to become less; become smaller
- Especially
- to show that something is greater or more important than other things; particularly; notably; specifically; for the most part
- Global
- related to the whole world; everywhere in the world; ?
- Issue
- a subject or problem that people are thinking and/or talking about; matter; topic; problem
- Climate change
- the fast and dangerous change in weather happening around the world
- Research
- the process of studying a subject/something to learn more about it and gain new understanding
- Study
- to learn more; to research;
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Lancet, a _____ journal, reports that over a billion people worldwide live with obesity. This includes _____ million adults and 159 million kids, based on data from _____.
Obesity can cause serious _____ problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.
The _____ obesity rates are in Tonga and American Samoa for women, and _____ Samoa and Nauru for men, where 70-80% of adults are obese.
_____ at obesity rates in other countries, the UK is ranked 55th highest for men and _____ for women out of about 190 countries. The US is 10th highest for men and _____ highest for women.
India is 19th lowest for _____ and 21st lowest for men. China is 11th lowest for women and _____ lowest for men.
In many island _____, there is not enough affordable, healthy food available. Sometimes, there is also a lot of _____ for unhealthy foods, but not healthy foods.
The report uses data from _____ to 2022. It found that obesity rates have quadrupled among kids and _____. For adults, the rate has more than doubled in women and _____ tripled in men.
However, the number of underweight _____ has decreased by 50%. This is still a big problem, especially in _____ areas.
Global issues could make _____ worse. Climate change, Covid-19, and the war in Ukraine could make healthy food _____ expensive and harder to get.
More than _____ researchers worked on this report with the WHO. They studied about _____ million people aged five and _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think obesity rates are higher in some countries than others?
- What do you think can be done to reduce obesity rates worldwide?
- Why do you think the number of underweight adults has decreased by 50%?
- What are some of the challenges of keeping a healthy weight in today's world?
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