Obesity is a growing problem worldwide with more than 1 billion people now living with the condition.
The rate of obesity has more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022. Increases in obesity were found in nearly all countries, with the highest prevalence among women being Niue (8.8% to 18.5%) and American Samoa (4.8% to 14%) for adults.
Obesity is a growing problem worldwide, with more than 1 billion people now living with the condition. The rate of obesity has more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022. Increases in obesity were found in nearly all countries, with the highest prevalence among women being Niue (8.8% to 18.5%) and American Samoa (4.8% to 14%) for adults.
From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 6% for women and increased in men with a posterior probability of at least 8.
The rate of obesity more than doubled among women between 1990 and 2023.
Accuracy
From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0.8.
The rate of obesity has more than doubled among adults and increased fourfold among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2022.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the topic of underweight and obesity. The author uses language that dehumanizes people who are overweight or obese by referring to them as 'underweight' or 'thinness'. Additionally, the author only mentions countries where there has been a decrease in combined prevalence of underweight and obesity among women, but not men. This is an example of gender bias.
The article uses language that dehumanizes people who are overweight or obese by referring to them as 'underweight' or 'thinness'.
The author only mentions countries where there has been a decrease in combined prevalence of underweight and obesity among women, but not men. This is an example of gender bias.
The rate of obesity has more than doubled among adults and increased fourfold among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2022.
Increases in obesity were found in nearly all countries, with the highest prevalence among women being Niue (8.8% to 18.5%) and American Samoa (4.8% to 14%) for adults, and Niue (30%) and Cook Islands (29%) for children.
The island nations of Tonga (60%) and American Samoa (62%) had the highest adult obesity rates among women. Among men, American Samoa (59%) had the highest rate in 2022.
Among children, Niue and Cook Islands both had a prevalence of more than 30% living with obesity.
Accuracy
The study found that obesity rates among men increased from 4.8% to 14%, while women saw an increase from 8.8% to 18.5%.
Most of the countries with the highest prevalence of obesity are located in Polynesia and Micronesia, the Caribbean, and Middle East and North Africa.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that obesity is the leading form of malnutrition which contradicts itself as obesity can be considered a nutritional excess rather than deficiency. Secondly, the study found an increase in underweight prevalence among adults and children which contradicts the statement that most people worldwide suffer from obesity. Thirdly, it states that countries with high rates of obesity are those located in Polynesia and Micronesia but fails to mention other regions such as Africa where some countries have higher rates of obesity than these island nations.
The study found an increase in underweight prevalence among adults and children which contradicts the statement that most people worldwide suffer from obesity. For example, it states 'Among children, the global obesity rate among girls increased from 1.7% in 1990 to 6.9% in 2022' but fails to mention that this increase was accompanied by a decrease in underweight prevalence.
The article claims that obesity is the leading form of malnutrition which contradicts itself as obesity can be considered a nutritional excess rather than deficiency. For example, it states 'Obesity in adults is defined by having a body-mass index equal to or greater than 30 kilograms per square meter' but fails to mention that this definition does not apply universally and may vary depending on the population.
The article claims that countries with high rates of obesity are those located in Polynesia and Micronesia but fails to mention other regions such as Africa where some countries have higher rates of obesity than these island nations. For example, it states 'Countries in those regions have obesity rates that are now higher than many wealthy, industrialized countries' but fails to mention that this is not the case for all African countries.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing a study published in the journal The Lancet without providing any evidence or context for its credibility. Additionally, the author makes use of dichotomous depictions when describing obesity as both a leading form of malnutrition and having no impact on health at all. This is an example of false dilemma fallacy.
The Lancet study found that more than 1 billion people worldwide live with obesity, making the condition the leading form of malnutrition.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the rise in obesity rates worldwide and provides statistics on countries with high levels of obesity. The author is Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London who has a financial interest in researching nutrition and health issues.
.5% among girls and rose from 2.1% to 9.3% during the same period, with increases found in nearly all countries.
More than a billion people are living with obesity around the world.
The highest rates of obesity are in Tonga and American Samoa for women and American Samoa and Nauru for men.
Out of some 190 countries, the UK ranks 55th highest for men and 87th for women. The international team of scientists say there is an urgent need for major changes in how obesity is tackled.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'more than a billion people are living with obesity around the world' to grab readers' attention and make them think that this is an unprecedented problem. However, it has been known for years that obesity rates have been increasing globally. Secondly, the author uses selective reporting by only mentioning countries where women or men have high rates of obesity without providing any context on why these countries are experiencing such high rates. This is misleading as there may be other factors contributing to this issue in those countries that are not mentioned. Thirdly, the article implies that obesity is solely responsible for an increase in serious health conditions when it has been linked to many other lifestyle choices and environmental factors as well.
The article implies that obesity is solely responsible for an increase in serious health conditions when it has been linked to many other lifestyle choices and environmental factors as well.
The article only mentions countries where women or men have high rates of obesity without providing any context on why these countries are experiencing such high rates.
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'more than a billion people are living with obesity around the world' which is misleading.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the World Health Organization (WHO) director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a network of more than 1,500 researchers collaborating with the WHO as sources for their information. However, this does not necessarily mean that their opinions are accurate or reliable. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric by stating that obesity is linked to cancer rise without providing any evidence to support this claim.
The article states that out of some 190 countries, the UK ranks 55th highest for men and 87th for women. This statement implies a comparison between different countries' rates of obesity, but it does not provide any context or explanation for why these rankings are significant.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing Dr Guha Pradeepa from the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation as a source for information about the impact of climate change and other global issues on malnutrition caused by both obesity and being underweight. However, this does not necessarily mean that their opinions are accurate or reliable.
The article states that half of world could be overweight by 2035. This statement implies a prediction about future events, but it is unclear how the author arrived at this conclusion.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes people who are obese by referring to them as a 'burden on healthcare systems'. This is an example of religious bias because it implies that being overweight is a sin or moral failing, which goes against the idea of treating everyone with respect and dignity regardless of their body size. Additionally, the article mentions that some countries have aggressive marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy foods while the cost and availability of healthier food can be more problematic. This is an example of monetary bias because it implies that people who are obese are responsible for their own health problems due to poor dietary choices, rather than acknowledging the role played by economic factors such as poverty and lack of access to healthy foods.
Some countries have aggressive marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy foods while the cost and availability of healthier food can be more problematic
The author uses language that dehumanizes people who are obese
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article by Smitha Mundasad from Getty Images has several examples of conflicts of interest. The author is affiliated with Imperial College London and the World Health Organization (WHO), which may have a vested interest in promoting healthy eating habits and reducing obesity rates worldwide.
Dr Guha Pradeepa, a researcher at Imperial College London and WHO expert on non-communicable diseases, said: 'Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges facing humanity today. It affects millions of people worldwide and has serious consequences for individuals' health as well as economies.'
Prof Majid Ezzati, from Imperial College London, said: 'The rise of obesity is linked to cancer. It's not just about the extra weight - it's also about what you eat.'
The article also mentions that marketing campaigns promoting unhealthy foods may contribute to obesity rates.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Smitha Mundasad has a conflict of interest on the topic of obesity as she is reporting for Getty Images which may have financial ties to companies that produce unhealthy food or marketing campaigns promoting such foods. Additionally, Smitha Mundasad quotes Prof Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London and Dr Guha Pradeepa from the World Health Organization (WHO) without disclosing any potential conflicts of interest they may have on this topic.
Smitha Mundasad quotes Prof Majid Ezzati from Imperial College London and Dr Guha Pradeepa from the World Health Organization (WHO) without disclosing any potential conflicts of interest they may have on this topic.
Smitha Mundasad reports for Getty Images which may have financial ties to companies that produce unhealthy food or marketing campaigns promoting such foods.
The global rate of obesity more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022.
More than a billion people worldwide now have obesity.
Increases in obesity were found in nearly all countries, with the highest prevalence among women being Niue (8.8% to 18.5%) and American Samoa (4.8% to 14%) for adults.
Accuracy
More than a billion people worldwide now have obesity.
From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased for women but increased for men with a posterior probability of at least 8%.
Deception
(30%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the global rate of obesity more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022. However, this statement is misleading as it implies a linear increase when the actual numbers are not provided. Secondly, the article uses statistics to make claims about rising health risks without providing any evidence of these risks being directly linked to obesity. Lastly, the article makes no mention of any studies linking dietary habits or lifestyle choices with obesity rates.
The global rate of obesity more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the World Health Organization director-general as a source for their statement about reversing global obesity. Additionally, the author makes use of inflammatory rhetoric when they describe more than 1 billion people worldwide having obesity as a sign of worsening nutrition that's raising the risk of leading causes of death and disease such as high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes.
The global rate of obesity more than doubled among women, from 8.8% to 18.5%, and nearly tripled in men, from 4.8% to 14.0%, between 1990 and 2022.
Tonga and American Samoa had the highest rates of obesity among women, with more than 60% of the adult population living with obesity.
Bias
(80%)
The article contains examples of religious bias and monetary bias. The author uses language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable by stating that the increase in obesity is a sign of worsening nutrition.
> More than 1 billion people worldwide now have obesity, a sign of worsening nutrition
The global rate of obesity more than doubled among women and nearly tripled in men between 1990 and 2022
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
Tina Reed has a conflict of interest on the topic of worldwide obesity as she is an employee and contributor to Axios Visuals which may have financial ties with companies or industries related to this topic.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author Tina Reed has a conflict of interest on the topic of worldwide obesity as she is an employee of Axios Visuals which may have financial ties to companies or industries related to this topic.
