Obesity crisis to affect nine out of 10 women in Belgium

Europe faces an unprecedented obesity crisis, which will affect nine out of 10 Belgian women by 2030, according to figures released yesterday by the World Health Organization (WHO) during a conference in Prague.

According to doctors at the conference, urgent action is required to combat the rise of the consumption of processed foods across the region and to promote healthy eating habits by marketing healthy food and making it more affordable.

The study included research on obesity in 53 European countries and found an alarming trend. "By 2030, Europe will face an obesity crisis of enormous proportions," WHO concludes. The situation is most alarming in Ireland, Latvia and Iceland, where nearly three-quarters of the entire population will suffer from obesity by 2030.

Among women, Belgium and Bulgaria share the leading position, with 89% of adult women expected to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 25 by 2030. The BMI is an index representing the ratio between height and weight. A BMI above 25 is considered overweight, while an index of 30 or more is obese.

Belgian men, however, do not appear in the top 15 countries with the strongest increase in obesity rates.