Obesity Sign of Income Divide

While developed nations have made progress in reducing the incidence of hypertension, obesity, and high cholesterol, low-income and developing nations have experienced a significant increase in the number of people afflicted with these risk factors for heart disease, according to a recent study published by researchers in public health.

The study—co-authored by Goodarz Danaei, a research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London—found that obesity has nearly doubled worldwide since 1980, making it a global concern.

Speaking about the study, Ezzati said his research shows both good news and bad news.

“The good news is there are places that have managed to contain obesity,” Ezzati said. “The bad news is the divide in blood pressure and cholesterol in high-income and low-income countries.”

Conducted over the course of two years, the study was published in the medical journal “The Lancet” as three separate scientific papers. One paper focused on surveying body mass index, while the other two focused on blood pressure and cholesterol. Researchers at the World Health Organization also collaborated on the study.

The rapidly increasing population numbers in developing countries help explain the disparity between high-income and low-income countries, Danaei said.

“The large increase in South Asia, because of the population, for example, contributes a lot to the numbers,” Danaei said.

But the issue is not limited to South Asia, Danaei added. The incidence of obesity is also high in East Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, he noted.

Due to the implications of the research, the United Nations General Assembly on Non-Communicable Diseases will discuss chronic, cardiovascular disease for the first time this September, according to Danaei.

The U.N. will work with the World Health Organization to look at risk prevention techniques for cardiovascular disease.

“These estimates are informing our future global policies as to what is the best possible scenario” for preventing these diseases, Danaei said.

Ezzati said in the next phase of their research, the team will start looking at other factors that contribute to obesity.

“We are going to update these numbers and begin looking at the health effects of them, so there’s lots more coming in the future,” Ezzati said.

— Staff writer Melanie A. Guzman can be reached at melanieguzman@college.harvard.edu.