Rise in obesity in Brazil presents serious public health problems

World Today

Rise in obesity in Brazil presents serious public health problems

Brazil often projects an image of healthy, beautiful people, but obesity has become a growing problem there. New figures show more than half the population are overweight.

CGTN’s Paulo Cabral reports from Sao Paulo.

Estimates from Brazil’s Health Ministry confirm there has been significant weight-gain in the country.

Over ten years, the number of obese people in Brazil went from less than 12 percent of the population in 2006 to almost 19 percent  in 2016. That’s an increase of 60 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of people considered overweight, but not medically obese, went from less than 43 percent in 2006 to nearly 54 percent in 2016.

Obesity is widely recognized as a risk factor for a number of health conditions. Its rise in Brazil presents a serious problem, not only for individuals, but for the country’s public health system as a whole.