VOA健康报道2024--Report Estimates 1 Billion People Worldwide Are Obese

Report Estimates 1 Billion People Worldwide Are Obese¹

　　A new study estimates more than 1 billion people worldwide are currently living with obesity². People with obesity are considered medically overweight.

　　The study, published in the medical publication The Lancet, said that one in eight people are obese. Researchers said around 43 percent of adults were overweight in 2022.

　　Worldwide, obesity among adults has more than doubled since 1990, the study found. Among young people aged³ five to 19, the obesity rate increased by four times during the same period.

　　"A staggering number of people are living with obesity," declared the lead writer of the study, Majid Ezzati. He is a professor at Imperial College London.

　　Severe obesity is strongly linked to a long list of health problems and an early death.

　　Researchers used data from more than 3,600 population studies involving 222 million people, The Lancet reported. The study "measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population," the researchers said.

　　The World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement that it shared data with other international researchers and helped to create the report.

　　WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the study identifies the "importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood⁴."

　　The WHO noted⁵ that at the World Health Assembly in 2022, member states agreed to an agency plan to fight obesity. So far, 31 governments "are now leading the way" to reduce obesity by carrying out goals of the plan.

　　These include government measures to enact⁶ new rules on "harmful" marketing⁷ of unhealthy food and drinks to children. In addition, governments are aiming to improve school and nutrition policies. They are also seeking price reductions for healthy foods, to increase public awareness⁸ about healthy diets and exercise and to strengthen requirements for physical activity in schools.

　　Imperial College's Ezzati said that obesity rates are not rising in many wealthier nations. But they are quickly increasing in other countries. He noted that some countries have many underweight people, meaning the nations are facing what he called a "double burden" of nutrition problems.

　　Francesco Branca is head of nutrition at the WHO. He told reporters, "In the past, we have been thinking of obesity as a problem of the rich. Obesity is a problem of the world."

　　The research represented the first major report on the issue since 2017, with more than 1,500 scientists taking part. That report estimated around 774 million people above the age of five were living with obesity.

　　Branca and Ezzati suggested that powerful new obesity drugs – such as Ozempic and Wegovy – could be helpful tools in reducing obesity. But they noted that the cost and availability of the drugs might increase inequality.

　　Words in This Story

　　obesity – n. a medical problem of having too much body fat. It increases the risk of many other diseases and health problems

　　staggering – adj. very shocking and surprising

　　sample – n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

　　manage – v. to deal with something successfully

1 obese   

adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的

参考例句：

• The old man is really obese,it can't be healthy.那位老人确实过于肥胖了，不能算是健康。
• Being obese and lazy is dangerous to health.又胖又懒危害健康。

2 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

3 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

4 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

7 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。