More than half the world’s population age 5 and older — 51%, or more than 4 billion people — are projected to be overweight or obese by 2035. This is according to a recent report from the World Obesity Federation. By comparison, 2.6 billion people worldwide (38% of the population) were overweight or obese in 2020. Obesity alone is expected to rise from 14% in 2020 to 24%, or nearly 2 billion people, by 2035.
The steepest increase is expected among youths ages 5 to 19, with the predicted obesity rate among boys doubling from 10% to 20% and more than doubling among girls, rising from 8% to 18%.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) categorizes obesity as a chronic disease. In addition to its direct harms, obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and other chronic diseases. All of these inflict suffering on individuals and families. They are also immensely expensive to treat and manage. Obesity and its attendant illnesses threaten to overwhelm health systems around the world.
It’s widely recognized that ultra-processed — “junk” — food is a significant contributor to rising global obesity rates. Dozens of large studies have found that ultra-processed foods are also linked to higher rates of heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.
While primarily a high-income country phenomenon, obesity and ultra-processed foods are becoming a growing problem in low-income countries, too. Along with persistent poverty, obesity increasingly poses challenges in places like San Martin, a rural agricultural area in Guatemala.
What’s different, of course, is that San Martin isn’t like a small American rural town surrounded by corn and soybean fields; or a city neighborhood in which fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive and difficult to find. San Martin produces an abundance of produce. Many families grow their own.
But ultra-processed foods like chips and cookies are relatively inexpensive and require no preparation. They also are associated with a rich world lifestyle, communicated to even rural communities through pervasive corporate advertising. Especially among Guatemala’s younger people, ultra-processed food is displacing healthy food — laying the groundwork for long-term health problems that threaten to make poverty even more intractable.
We and local partners are working with family farmers in San Martin and other rural farming communities to relearn and teach traditional eating habits built on varied fruits and vegetables. Farmers are taught sustainable farming techniques, including how to produce and use organic fertilizers and pesticides, along with methods that reduce water consumption. This results in fruits and vegetables that are more nutritious and healthier. Since organic techniques reduce or eliminate the use of chemical inputs, they also cut costs and raise profits. Many families have increased output enough to sell surplus in local markets. This raises their income and improves their villagers’ food security. More food year-round makes communities more resilient to climate change and other external shocks.
As part of a holistic approach to production and consumption, younger people in San Martin and other communities learn to prepare healthy meals that use traditional ingredients. Many of these recipes have been compiled into a cookbook that is shared with families in San Martin and neighboring regions. As in other parts of the world, young people and their parents are excited to learn more about their heritage and history through food, and to develop habits that will reduce the risk of obesity and other diseases.
Health and diet are heavily influenced by food availability and the social influences in every community. Obesity can be prevented through social actions that cultivate healthy foods and reinforce the wisdom of diets developed over millennia. Yes, there’s room for innovation and novelty. But a sound diet built around real food that starts early and avoids processed food and too much sugar can lead to a lifetime of good health.
What’s happening in San Martin in this area in rural Guatemala could hold lessons for towns and cities around the world.
Kate Schecter is CEO of Oklahoma City-based World Neighbors.
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