Obesity Day 2025: addressing the growing burden of obesity
On the occasion of Obesity Day, 4 March 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for urgent action to tackle the growing obesity problem which is now recognized as one of the most significant public health challenges of our time.
Building a healthy future: tackling obesity through prevention and care, serves as a rallying cry for governments, health systems and communities to prioritize the prevention and care of obesity.
Obesity is a chronic complex disease, and one that drives other diseases. Taking action on obesity will help reduce the global burden of other chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
The Eastern Mediterranean Region is grappling with an escalating obesity crisis. According to WHO data, obesity rates in the Region have been rising sharply over the past few decades. As of 2023, approximately 60% of adults in some countries in the Region were overweight or obese.
In addition to contributing to an alarming rise in noncommunicable diseases, including as type 2 cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers, obesity has profound socio-economic impacts. Rising rates of obesity disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries where access to affordable, healthy food, safe physical activity spaces and health care services are often limited.
WHO is responding to the global obesity crisis on many fronts, including monitoring global trends and prevalence, developing a broad range of guidelines on prevention and treatment and providing implementation support and recommendations such as those contained in the Report of the commission on ending childhood obesity.
In line with this year’s theme, WHO continues to emphasize the importance of comprehensive, multisectoral approaches to combat obesity. WHO’s Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020, the Framework for action on obesity prevention and the Health service delivery framework for prevention and management of obesity provide clear guidelines for governments and stakeholders to reduce the obesity burden.
Source: Text: https://www.emro.who.int/fr/media/actualites/obesity-day-2025-addressing-the-growing-burden-of-obesity Image: WHO