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The growing obesity epidemic is not confined to the borders of the United States. It is a global problem in which the World Health Organization and numerous governments are eagerly searching for ideas and solutions to deal with the health and economic impact of obesity. Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults with at least 300 million classified as clinically obese. Since 1980 obesity rates have risen more than three-fold in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australia and China. Accordingly, the WTO states “the obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; this increase is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world.”*
Although the cause of obesity is often debated among researchers and medical professionals, nearly all of them agree that children play the most important role in the future prevention of obesity related illness and disease. $1 in spending in obesity prevention equates to $3 in medical cost savings. Childhood obesity is already epidemic in some areas and on the rise in others. An estimated 17.6 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide. According to the US Surgeon General, in the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has trebled since 1980. The prevalence of obese children aged 6-to-11 years has more than doubled since the 1960s. Obesity prevalence in youths aged 12-17 has increased dramatically from 5% to 13% in boys and from 5% to 9% in girls between 1966-70 and 1988-91 in the USA. The problem is global and increasingly extends into the developing world; for example, in Thailand the prevalence of obesity in 5-to-12 year olds children rose from12.2% to 15-6% in just two years. Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries; some estimates put the figure as high as 7%. The true costs are undoubtedly much greater as not all obesity-related conditions are included in the calculations.**
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Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. This is where the “Get Fit!’ program can make an immediate and significant impact. The “Get Fit!” program model is designed to adapt to the cultural lifestyles of young people throughout the world in order to communicate the universal importance of living a healthy and fit lifestyle. “Get Fit!” can make an immediate impact on the lives of young people by getting them excited about health and fitness while introducing tools and resources to help them adopt and maintain good health habits throughout their lifetime resulting in a new generation of healthier and fit adults.
“Get Fit!” is a proven program that produces real results in the young people who experience its powerful messages. Contact us at info@getfitus.net if you would like to discuss ways to bring the “Get Fit!” Experience to your country or community. Obesity is a complex condition, one with serious social and psychological dimensions, that affects virtually all age and socioeconomic groups and threatens to overwhelm both developed and developing countries. Reference: |
| † American Obesity Association: http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_youth.shtml ‡ Time Magazine’s June 7th report on Overcoming Obesity: http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101040607/ |
