Food, Fitness & Pharma > Global dimension

The Global Dimension

We are witnessing the development of a world-wide epidemic of lifestyle diseases connected to obesity and physical inactivity. The WHO recognizes obesity as a top global public health challenge. Obesity is now regarded as a serious medical and psychosocial condition with a long line of related diseases including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, musculo-skeletal disorders, certain cancers and premature mortality. The societal and human costs of this pandemic of interrelated lifestyle diseases are staggering, and include economic, political, social, cultural, and psychological consequences for societies, for population groups, and for individuals.

The prevalence of obesity is relatively high in Denmark, in both adults and children. Please find information here about the Danish prevalence of obesity and some of the organizations, boards and reports addressing the field of prevention, health and disease; including the field of obesity and metabolic diseases.

Please find below links to important reports and associations reflecting the global dimension of obesity and related diseases.

EU:

• EU FP6 HEPADIP report: "Summary and Highlights of Scientific Achievements" 
• Green Paper: "Promoting healthy diets and physical activity: a European dimension for the prevention of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases" Commission of the European communities Brussels, 08.12.2005.
• White paper on “A Strategy for Europe on Nutrition, Overweight and Obesity related health issues” Commission of the European communities Brussels, Brussels, 30.5.2007.
• Road Map for Diabetes Research in Europe

WHO and global obesity and diabetes associations:

• WHO Publications on obesity and other diet-related chronic diseases
• WHO European Charter on counteracting obesity
• Alliance for European Diabetes Research (EURADIA)
• American Diabetes Association (ADA) 
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States", 2009, CDC 
• European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO)
• European Childhood Obesity Group (ECOG)
• International Obesity Task Force
• International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO)
• Tackling Obesities: the Foresight Report, UK
• NIH: Strategic plan for NIH Obesity Research (March 2011)