Humanity has always been concerned with feeding the population, as hunger and malnutrition have always been present in society.
In times past, society did not have obesity as a problem, but malnutrition.
After the development of techniques and technology (70s), food production had a very large increase and provided greater accessibility to food, in addition, industries have diversified the types of food, presenting several attractive colors and flavors.
Currently, the percentage of obese people equaled and/or exceeded the percentage of undernourished people, a fact that occurred for the first time in human history.
Obesity is characterized by the accumulation of fat, which increases body mass, thus, weight is above ideal. The pathological state causes a greater predisposition to diseases such as heart problems, diabetes, not to mention that obese people have a shorter life expectancy than a person of normal weight.
Obesity in the world
In China, the most populous country in the world, estimates show that the percentage of obese people has already reached 15% of the population, while the percentage of undernourished is 11%. The aggravating factor is that as the percentage of undernourished people decreases, the obese percentage increases.
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In the US, surveys show that 30% of Americans are obese, but that number is likely to be higher, about 50%, because Americans have not very strict evaluation criteria, different from the stricter criteria of Europeans.
- In Europe and Japan, obesity affects 20% of the population.
- In Brazil, the percentage of obese people reaches 11% of the adult population, a much higher number of undernourished people, which is 4%.
The main causes of obesity are the high consumption of unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyle and consumption of processed foods.
The WHO (World Health Organization) created a term called “globesity” as a result of changes in the globalization process. But this problem is not restricted to the rich and the middle class, it is also the problem of the poor.
In the last two decades, Brazilians have transformed their eating habits, leaving aside the traditional rice and beans, to eat foods such as hot dogs, sandwiches and fast food in general. This type of food is highly harmful to health.
Mass media vehicles warn about the risks of obesity and recommend a balanced diet and the practice of physical exercise.
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FREITAS, Eduardo de. "The Geography of Obesity"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/a-geografia-obesidade.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
