Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Obesity: the worldwide epidemic.

Philip T James1

  • 1International Obesity Task Force, London, UK. jeanhjames@aol.com

Clinics in Dermatology
|October 12, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Obesity rates have doubled globally, with significant regional variations. Abdominal obesity is linked to lower birth weights and childhood stunting, even in developing nations.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Applying WHO Prioritization Criteria for Moderate Wasting: Programmatic Implications.

Maternal & child nutrition·2025
Same author

Re-thinking "non-response" to wasting treatment: Exploratory analysis from 14 studies.

PLOS global public health·2025
Same author

Integrating Women and Girls' Nutrition Services into Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.

Nutrients·2022
Same author

How Can Nutrition Research Better Reflect the Relationship Between Wasting and Stunting in Children? Learnings from the Wasting and Stunting Project.

The Journal of nutrition·2022
Same author

Nutrition status and morbidity of Ethiopian children after recovery from severe acute malnutrition: Prospective matched cohort study.

PloS one·2022
Same author

Environmentally sensitive hotspots in the methylome of the early human embryo.

eLife·2022

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Global Health

Background:

  • Global obesity prevalence has more than doubled in the past decade.
  • Standardized body mass index (BMI) classification enables worldwide prevalence comparisons.
  • International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) BMI cut-offs are increasingly used for children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze global obesity and overweight prevalence rates.
  • To evaluate BMI data for the Global Burden of Disease analysis.
  • To explore associations between abdominal obesity, birth weight, and early childhood stunting.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing standardized body mass index (BMI) classification for global comparisons.
  • Applying International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) age, sex, and BMI-specific cut-off points for children.
  • Analyzing BMI data within the Global Burden of Disease framework.

Main Results:

  • Obesity prevalence varies significantly by region, with higher rates in the Middle East, Central/Eastern Europe, and North America.
  • Obesity is increasingly associated with poverty, including in developing countries.
  • Adult abdominal obesity, linked to higher morbidity, is associated with lower birth weights and childhood stunting.

Conclusions:

  • Global obesity is a growing public health concern with diverse regional patterns.
  • Socioeconomic factors, like poverty, are increasingly intertwined with obesity.
  • Early life factors such as birth weight and childhood stunting may predict adult abdominal obesity and associated health risks.

Related Experiment Videos