Summary
This large-scale pooled analysis by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration synthesises data from 3,663 population-representative studies encompassing 222 million individuals to characterise global trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022. The study likely demonstrates a continued global rise in obesity prevalence alongside persistent or regionally variable underweight burdens, highlighting a double burden of malnutrition in many low- and middle-income countries. As a flagship NCD-RisC publication, it provides authoritative epidemiological benchmarks used by international health bodies and national governments to inform nutrition policy.
UK applicability
Whilst the study is global in scope, it provides essential comparative context for UK obesity and undernutrition policy, situating England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland within international trajectories tracked by bodies such as DHSC, NHS England, and the Office for Health Inequalities and Disparities.
Key measures
Prevalence of underweight (%; BMI < 18.5 kg/m² in adults; weight-for-age or BMI-for-age in children); prevalence of obesity (%; BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² in adults; BMI-for-age above +2 SD in children); trends by country, region, sex, and age group (1990–2022)
Outcomes reported
The study reports trends in the prevalence of underweight and obesity across children, adolescents, and adults in countries worldwide from 1990 to 2022, drawing on pooled data from over 3,600 population-representative surveys. It likely quantifies shifts in body mass index distributions and the concurrent burden of both undernutrition and overnutrition across regions and income groups.
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