40% of Brazilian Adults Are Obese

In Brazil, like many Third World countries today, obesity has become a bigger problem than malnutrition. Welcome to a side effect of globalization – globesity, as it is being called.

Out of the 95.5 million Brazilians who are 20 years of age or older, 38.8 million, or 40% of them, are overweight and 10 million of them are obese, according to standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).


The numbers have been confirmed in the latest household survey by the government statistical bureau (IBGE) for 2003, which was released last week.


The IBGE says eating habits are to blame. People are eating more processed food, fat and sugars. The survey shows that weight increase is a gradual process for most people. However, usually men get fatter faster and younger than women.


Brazil’s overweight men are concentrated more heavily in the South region (46.2% of the male population is overweight), the Southeast region (44.4%) and Central-West (43.4%).


The percentage of the male population that is overweight falls to 34% in the North and Northeast regions. And most of the males who are overweight live in urban areas.


Interestingly, the IBGE survey shows that overweight women are mainly found in rural areas, except in the Northeast, where the percentages are just about equal, with a slight tilt to the urban ladies: 39.4% of the urban female population is overweight, and 36.8% of the rural female population is overweight.


Agência Brasil
Translator: Allen Bennett

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil-Paraguay Dispute over Itaipu Delays Mercosur Summit

The summit among the presidents of Mercosur has been postponed for July 24 and ...

Brazil Has Learned It Can’t Survive Without R&D

To guarantee high revenues in the sector – US$ 26 billion in 2005, the ...

Dollar Sinks to 13-month Low Against Brazilian Real. US Currency Down 32%

The real, Brazil's currency, rose to the strongest level in more than a year ...

Boiling point: A Survey of Hemispheric Water Policy

From the Texas Oil Boom to the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, petroleum was undoubtedly the ...

Brazil’s Embratur Goes Open Source

Embratur (Brazilian Institute of Tourism), the Brazilian government’s tourism agency, should finish by April ...

Brazil Olympics: Virus Infested Faeces Main Culprit of Guanabara Bay Pollution

Sewage, garbage and oil leaks. These are the main problems faced by the balmy ...

Brazilian President Wants Europe to Invest in Biofuel in Africa

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, defended three-sided cooperation so as ...

UN Finds Out that Human Right Activism in Brazil Is Hazardous Activity

Hina Jilani, the Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General on the situation of ...

Election in Sí£o Paulo, Brazil: Who Cares More for the Poor?

Marta Suplicy (PT) has laid out part of her second round strategy: she’s going ...

500 Gas Stations Selling Biodiesel in Brazil. By 2007 There Will Be 7000.

By the end of this year, diesel oil containing a 2% mixture of biodiesel ...