• English
• Français
• Deutsch
• Pусский

At the II World Congress of Public Health Nutrition, WHO will present the status of ongoing work in Europe and WHO Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) data. The conference as a whole covers presentation and discussion of the most recent advances in human nutrition and the close relationships between nutrition and health and wellbeing of the world populations.

The double burden of nutritional diseases

The double burden of disease associated with poor nutrition (malnutrition to obesity) continues to grow on a global scale. Poor diet, overweight and obesity contribute to a large proportion of noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and cancer. National surveys in most countries indicate excessive fat intake, low fruit and vegetable intake and an increasing problem of obesity, all of which not only shorten life expectancy, but also harm the quality of life.

A global challenge

Obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st century. Its prevalence has tripled in many countries since the 1980s, and the numbers of those affected continue to rise at an alarming rate, particularly children. Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with approximately 1.6 billion persons (aged 15 years old and above) being overweight. Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Globally, in 2010 the number of overweight children, under the age of five, is estimated to be over 42 million. Paradoxically coexisting with undernutrition, an escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – “globesity” – is taking over many parts of the world. If immediate action is not taken, millions will suffer from an array of serious health disorders. 

Most Member States (WHO EURO Region) now have government-approved policies dealing with nutrition and food safety, and policy developments indicate that nutrition and food safety span different government sectors and involve both public and private actors. Both societies and governments need to act to curb the epidemic. National policies should encourage and provide opportunities for greater physical activity, and improve the availability and accessibility of healthy foods. They should also encourage the involvement of different government sectors, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders.

WHO has adopted several strategic documents to implement an effective strategy for change such as the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (2004), The Charter on Counteracting Obesity (2006) and the second WHO European Action Plan for Food and Nutrition Policy (2007–2012). Through a guided WHO Policy Framework, Member States are supported to take action to reduce the double disease burden at population level.