On April 9 th , the Italian Obesity Barometer Report 2019 was published in Obesity
Monitor, on the occasion of the 1 st “Italian Obesity Summit – Changing ObesityTM Meeting”, held in Rome at the Residenza di Ripetta (Bernini Meeting Hall) and organized by the IBDO Foundation (Italian Barometer Diabetes Observatory). At the summit, key data collected by the IBDO Foundation together with ISTAT (Istitute of statistics) was presented on obesity and excess weight in Italy, providing a clear picture of the gravity of the current situation in Italy.
The report demonstrates that more than 1 out of 3 Italians is overweight, and, more notably, one out of 10 is obese. Considering that obesity is constantly on the rise and constitutes a key risk factor for chronic diseases—like type 2 diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and tumors these figures are alarming. Indeed, obesity represents a major public health problem today.
Let’s take a deeper look at the details of the report on obesity in Italy. It shows that 46% of adults (18 years and older), comprising more than 23 million individuals, and 24.2% of children and adolescents (aged 6-17), or 1 million and 700,000 individuals, are overweight. These figures reveal discrepancies in gender: women show lower rates of obesity (9.4%) than men (11.8%). Among children and adolescents, this discrepancy is even more notable: 20.8% of girls are overweight compared to 27.3% of boys.
Geography reveals further differences: the problem of excess weight is more widespread in the South of Italy and the islands, especially among young people. In the South and islands, 31.9% and 26.1% of children and adolescents, respectively, are overweight. The figures decrease moving north: 22% in Central Italy; 22.1% in the North East; and 18.9% in the North West. Among adults, geographical differences are less significant: 11.8% of adults in the South and islands are overweight; 10.6% in the North East; 10.2% in the North West; and dropping to 8.8% in Central Italy. Besides the gap between the North and South in Italy, there is a substantial difference between urban and rural areas. In small towns (i.e. fewer than 2,000 inhabitants), as many as 12% are obese, while in the big cities the percentage of obese individuals drops to 8.8%. However, in recent years (2001-2017), the greatest increases in obesity have been seen in metropolitan areas (6.8 to 8.8%) and in the suburbs (8.2% to 10.9%).
Two other critical trends emerge from the report. The first regards sedentary lifestyles, with a major gap between the North and South. In general, more than one third of young people in the South of Italy and the islands (with the exception of Sardinia) do not practice sports or do physical activity (42% in Sicily; 41.3% in Campania; 40.1% in Calabria). In addition, it appears that education plays a key role in determining obesity rates: a degree in higher education constitutes a safeguard against obesity, especially in terms of prevention. Only 6.6% of those with college diplomas are obese, while figures climb to as much as 14.2% for those with only a middle school diploma. Moreover, 18.5% of children of parents with college degrees are obese, a figure that grows to 29.5% for children of parents who have little formal education.
The findings of the report underscore the need for strategic programs that focus especially on prevention and treatment of this illness, as the latter grows increasingly more costly for healthcare, the economy, and society. Indeed, obesity constitutes a health emergency, with dire repercussions for the health of the individual— namely quality of life and longevity, but also with serious consequences for society, in terms of economic costs. Thus, the 1st Italian Obesity Summit – Changing Obesity TM Meeting offers a crucial starting point for debate, especially on the institutional level by demanding attention from policymakers. One aim of the IBDO Foundation in publishing the Italian Obesity Barometer Report was, in fact, to share key data and other useful information that can form the basis of new policy, guarantee access to treatment, and ultimately promote better health by endorsing a healthy lifestyle and diet.
by Corinna Montana Lampo, journalist
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