Junior administration major Brandi Best said that people tend to think of obesity as an American problem, but that may not be as true as some may think.
Paul Mason spends his days and nights in the confinements of his Ipswich, England bungalow practically immobilized. At 48 years old, Mason is incapable of performing tasks that one would presumably consider simple.
In order to complete daily tasks, like taking a shower or using the restroom, Mason needs the assistance of a team of personal caregivers. Weighing in at 70 stones, or 980 pounds, Paul Mason is believed to be the fattest man in the world, and doctor’s say he doesn’t have long to live.
Mason’s recent health prognosis has sparked worldwide attention to a growing epidemic that continues to plague nations of people around the globe: obesity.
Although Mason’s case may seem extreme, morbid obesity is not uncommon in the United Kingdom. The Guardian recently reported that there are more than 1 million morbidly obese people living in England.
“[Obesity] is actually turning into a worldwide epidemic,” said Best.
Physicians define obesity as an excess proportion of total body fat. A person’s body mass index (BMI) is used to measure obesity. One is obese when he or she weighs 20 percent more than their normal weight, or has a BMI of more than 30.
Morbid obesity is defined as weighing more than 50 to 100 percent more than one’s ideal body weight or having a BMI of more than 40.
In recent years, that which was once referred to as an American problem has made its way around the globe, especially in developing countries.
Obesity has become a major health concern for Australia and New Zealand, where the World Health Organization reports a quarter of all adults are considered obese. Dr. Paul Kowal, an Australian expert, recently said in the Sydney Herald that he attributes the threat of obesity to the recent accessibility and availability of fast food and soft drinks in developing countries.
Currently, the islands of the Western Pacific have the highest concentrations of obesity. With approximately 80 percent of the adult population being obese, Nauru has the highest population of obesity in the world.
Consequently, Nauru also has the world’s highest rate of diabetes. According to a report in Endocrine Today based on figures from research done by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 30.9 percent of the adult population is living with the disease.
“The data from the latest edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas shows that the epidemic is out of control,” Jean Claude Mbanya, Ph.D. said in a press release. Mbanya is also the president of IDF and refers to diabetes as a “global health emergency.”
Currently, 285 million people worldwide have diabetes. As the current rate of growth continues to rise, IDF anticipates more than 435 million people will be living with diabetes.
But obesity and diabetes will not only impact the health of people around the world. According to IDF, diabetes is also taking a toll on the global economy. IDF predicts that by 2010, diabetes will cost the world economy at least $376 billion, 11.6 percent of the total world health care costs.
“Governments, aid agencies and the international community must take concerted action to defuse the threat now, before the time bomb explodes,” Mbanya said. “No country is immune.”
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