Obesity Rates Found to Increase During Times of Economic Downturn

Widely believed to be a disease of lower socio-economic individuals, a new report has found that obesity is actually on the rise in rich nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the economy might be to blame.

A majority of the 34 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries are wealthy - and some possess alarming obesity rates. The OECD released a new report based on data from 10 countries: USA, England, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Korea.

The report noted that prior to 1980, fewer than one in ten people were obese in OECD countries, and now 18% of all adults are, suggesting a doubling or tripling of the obesity rate. They found financial hardship and unemployment were to blame because those who are making less money lowered their budgets for food, leading them to purchase cheaper and less healthy options, and those who are/were unemployed were found to be inactive.

"While some evidence suggests that shorter working hours and lack of employment are associated with more recreational physical activity ... at times of increasing unemployment any gains are likely to be offset by reduced work-related physical activity," the researchers wrote in the report.

"The economic crisis may have contributed to a further growth in obesity, but most governments need to do more to stop this rising tide," added OECD health expert Michele Cecchini, in this Guardian news article.

The evidence was primarily clear from 2008-2012. Each of the ten countries examined witnessed an increased in their obesity rates shortly after 2008, which was the time of the Global Financial Crisis. Italy was the only country who saw a minute increase, but the rest of the nations saw steady increases that are still on the rise or have remained steady (at higher rates).

And the rates seem to be affecting all groups of people. The report noted that wealthier and more educated people - particularly in the United States and Mexico - are also experiencing increasing rates of obesity, which is dangerous since the prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are among the highest in the world.

The OECD report will be presented this Wednesday at the European Congress on Obesity in Bulgaria.