World Obesity Federation

Failing to address obesity in the 2025 NCD agenda will derail global health progress - and leave over 1 billion people behind. Our latest opinion piece in The BMJ warns that the current draft Political Declaration for the UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs still fails to: 🔹 Recognise obesity as a chronic, complex, multifactorial disease 🔹 Acknowledge its role as a major driver of other NCDs 🔹 Commit to implementing proven WHO recommendations, from healthy food environment policies to integrating obesity care into primary healthcare Obesity affects over 1 billion people worldwide, contributes to 43% of type 2 diabetes cases, up to 78% of hypertension, and is linked to at least 13 cancers. Without urgent systemic action, the cost will reach $4.3 trillion annually by 2035 - alongside millions of preventable deaths. We know what works: regulatory and fiscal policies, reducing ultra-processed food availability, primary care integration, and equitable access to prevention and treatment. The Political Declaration must deliver on these - or risk leaving people living with obesity behind. ➡️ Read the full piece in The BMJ:  https://lnkd.in/evZ3KKxW #4BillionReasons #UNHLM #ObesityIsADisease #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth

🌍 Obesity is everywhere - and nowhere. That’s the stark truth at the heart of this powerful new blog from our CEO, Johanna Ralston, and Yvette Raphael of Advocates for the Prevention of HIV in Africa. With 4 billion people projected to be affected by overweight and obesity by 2035, most in low- and middle-income countries, this is no longer a future problem - it’s an urgent, global challenge. They call out the outdated data, weak commitments, and lack of integration into primary care - all while countries demand action, communities demand support, and solutions are within reach. 📖 Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/eVmWuY6K #4BillionReasons #UNHLM #HealthEquity #ObesityAndNCDs #GlobalHealth

🌍‼️ Obesity is a disease. Global policy must catch up. Our new Comment in The Lancet Global Health lays out a bold but necessary agenda: to stop treating obesity as a footnote in global health and start responding to it as the chronic, progressive disease that it is. Despite affecting over 1 billion people, and contributing to more than 200 health conditions, obesity remains largely invisible in global policy frameworks. The 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs risks repeating past failures - unless the Political Declaration recognises obesity as a disease and commits to multisectoral action. From outdated narratives that blame individuals, to underinvestment in proven solutions, the gap between science and policy has never been wider. With the right response - rooted in equity, evidence, and lived experience - we can shift the trajectory. Now is the time to act. 📖 Read the Comment: https://lnkd.in/eRkjhTgG #4BillionReasons #UNHLM #ObesityIsADisease #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth Johanna Ralston Louise Baur Kent Buse Simon Barquera

🍴 New evidence reinforces the impact of food processing on weight outcomes. A recently published randomised controlled trial found that people who ate minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as those on a diet of ultra-processed foods - despite both diets being nutritionally matched. Conducted by University College London and UCL Hospitals NHS Trust, the trial highlights how ultra-processing affects satiety, cravings and fat mass, and adds to the growing calls for policy reform to reduce exposure to UPFs. 🗞 Read the coverage via The Guardian: https://lnkd.in/dz75HN77 #Obesity #Nutrition #PublicHealth #UltraProcessed #Policy #WeightLoss #WorldObesity #4BillionReasons

💰 Obesity is a public health emergency - and an economic one. By 2030, the global economic cost of overweight and obesity is projected to reach nearly 3% of global GDP. That’s comparable to the economic fallout of COVID-19 in 2020. And the burden doesn’t fall evenly. Countries with limited health system capacity are paying the highest price, with preventable NCDs overwhelming already fragile health services. Investing in prevention, treatment, and systems-based solutions for obesity is cost-effective and economically sound. We must act now. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d4k7dSzW #4BillionReasons #ObesityEconomics #InvestInHealth #HealthSystems

🩺 Obesity is not just a standalone condition - it is a disease and key driver of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). 🔹 43% of type 2 diabetes cases 🔹 Up to 78% of hypertension 🔹 Over 13 types of cancer Obesity also worsens outcomes in HIV, COVID-19, kidney disease, maternal and neonatal health and more. If we address obesity now, we reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases for future generations. That’s why obesity must be integrated into every NCD prevention strategy - not as an afterthought, but as a cornerstone of action. 📣 It’s time for coordinated, systemic solutions. It’s time to put obesity at the centre of health equity and global policy. 🔗 www.worldobesity.org/HLM4 #ObesityAndNCDs #HealthEquity #UNHLM #4BillionReasons #GlobalHealth #NCDs #PolicyAction

📈 Obesity isn’t just rising - it’s accelerating. Since 1990, obesity has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among children and adolescents. Inaction has a cost. If we don’t act now, over 750 million children will be living with overweight or obesity by 2035 - 88% of them in low- and middle-income countries. That means two out of every five children globally will start life at higher risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. ‼️ We cannot let an entire generation be burdened by preventable health risks. 🔗 www.worldobesity.org/HLM4 #4BillionReasons #ChildhoodObesity #NCDs #HealthForAll #HLM4 #FridayFindings

🌍 For Half of Humanity: Why we need action on obesity Obesity is one of the defining global health and equity challenges of our time. Today, over 1 billion people live with obesity, and without bold action, 4 billion - half of the world’s population - will be affected by overweight or obesity by 2035. This campaign is our urgent call to action in the lead-up to the 2025 UN High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (HLM on NCDs). Our goal is clear: to secure global recognition of obesity as a chronic disease, drive equitable access to care, and catalyse multisectoral solutions. Obesity doesn’t just impact individuals - it fuels a wider crisis of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. And it’s not just a high-income country issue - 88% of future obesity cases will occur in low- and middle-income countries. But we have the tools to act: proven public health policies, emerging treatments, and growing political momentum. The HLM must our moment to demand action. Join us in demanding: ✅ Obesity recognised as a disease in the HLM Political Declaration ✅ Commitment to WHO recommendations & Acceleration Plan ✅ People with lived experience at the heart of global solutions 🌐 Visit our website to explore campaign materials, take action, and learn why this moment matters. We have #4BillionReasons to act. 🔗 www.worldobesity.org/HLM4 #4BillionReasons #HalfOfHumanity

🌟 Why does obesity impact communities differently? In Europe, obesity disproportionately affects communities with lower socioeconomic positions, presenting significant prevention challenges. OBCT addresses this issue by understanding how biological, sociocultural, and environmental factors influence obesity risk throughout life - from childhood to older age. Our consortium is working to generate new evidence and transform it into practical tools, actionable guidance, and comprehensive maps. We're committed to supporting policymakers, health professionals, researchers, and communities to implement effective, inclusive obesity prevention strategies. 👉 Discover how OBCT is creating meaningful, long-lasting impacts https://www.obct.nl/ #InclusiveHealth #PublicHealthInnovation #HealthEquity

🌍 Help shape the future of obesity prevention and care. The MAPPS II surveys are open, and we’re inviting healthcare professionals, policymakers, advocates and people with lived experience to take part. Your insights will help build a clearer global picture of what works – and where the gaps are – in obesity policy and services. 💬 Why take part? ✔️ Contribute to evidence that informs national and global action ✔️ Ensure diverse perspectives are included ✔️ Help identify barriers and solutions to better care and prevention This is your chance to influence decision-making and support more effective, equitable systems. 👉 Find out more and complete the survey today: www.worldobesity.org/mapps #MAPPSII #ObesityCare #PublicHealth #ObesityPolicy #GlobalHealth #ObesityPrevention