Obesity in Pakistan

Obesity in Pakistan is a health issue that has effected concern only in the past few years. Urbanisation, fast food, changing lifestyles and the fact that Traditional Pakistani Cuisine tends to be high in fat and sugar are among the root causes contributing to obesity in the country. Pakistan is ranked 165 (out of 194 countries) in terms of its overweight population, with 22.2% of individuals over the age of 15 crossing the threshold of obesity.[1] This ratio roughly corresponds with other studies, which state one-in-four Pakistani adults as being overweight.[2][3] In Pakistan, the problem of excess weight is quite high among adults.[4]

People living in large cities in Pakistan are more exposed to the risks of obesity as compared to those in the rural countryside. As in larger cities, consumption of unhealthy diet like fast food and soft drink is common.[5] Beside this, World Health Organization also shows that women have higher rates of obesity as compared to men.[6] Pakistan also has the highest percentage of people with diabetes in South Asia.[7]

Fat is more dangerous for South Asians than for Caucasians because the fat tends to cling to organs like the liver instead of the skin.[8]

A total of 40% of children in Pakistan are overweight or obese, mainly due to sedentary lifestyle, excessive screen time and unhealthy diet.[9]

See also

References
  1. Streib L (2 August 2007). "World's Fattest Countries". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007.
  2. "One in four adults is overweight or clinically obese". Gulf News. 17 December 2006.
  3. Jafar, Tazeen H.; Chaturvedi, Nish; Pappas, Gregory (2006-10-24). "Prevalence of overweight and obesity and their association with hypertension and diabetes mellitus in an Indo-Asian population". CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal. 175 (9): 1071–1077. doi:10.1503/cmaj.060464. ISSN 0820-3946. PMC 1609152. PMID 17060656.
  4. Asif M, Aslam M, Altaf S, Atif S, Majid A (March 2020). "Prevalence and Sociodemographic Factors of Overweight and Obesity among Pakistani Adults". Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Syndrome. 29 (1): 58–66. doi:10.7570/jomes19039. PMC 7118000. PMID 32045513.
  5. McNaughton S, Crawford D, Campbell K, Abbott G, Ball K (2010). Eating behaviours of urban and rural children from disadvantaged backgrounds (PDF). pp. 1–29. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  6. "Obesity and overweight". The World Health Organization. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  7. Nanan DJ (August 2002). "The obesity pandemic--implications for Pakistan". The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association. 52 (8): 342–6. PMID 12481671. Archived from the original on 4 October 2011.
  8. Anand, Sonia S.; Tarnopolsky, Mark A.; Rashid, Shirya; Schulze, Karleen M.; Desai, Dipika; Mente, Andrew; Rao, Sandy; Yusuf, Salim; Gerstein, Hertzel C.; Sharma, Arya M. (2011-07-28). "Adipocyte Hypertrophy, Fatty Liver and Metabolic Risk Factors in South Asians: The Molecular Study of Health and Risk in Ethnic Groups (mol-SHARE)". PLOS ONE. 6 (7): e22112. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...622112A. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022112. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3145635. PMID 21829446.
  9. "40% of children in Pakistan suffer from obesity". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
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