The health agency believes that these results require the intensification of prevention policies in this area, while overweight and obesity constitute major disease risks.
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Overweight and obesity, major disease risks, have increased overall in France between 1996 and 2017, warns Public Health France in its latest bulletin on Tuesday, September 10. While the growth in corpulence seems to have reached a ceiling among men, it continues among women. The levels remain “very high” and require the intensification of prevention policies in this area, estimates the health agency.
The analyses involved a total of 124,541 people aged 18 to 75: 55,356 men and 69,185 women. The results show that between 1996 and 2017, declared corpulence increased overall in France, but differently depending on gender and whether overweight or obesity is considered, summarizes Public Health France.
Among men, the proportion of people reporting overweight (including obesity) is higher than among women, but it seems to have reached a ceiling since 2008, at around 48-50%. Among women, on the other hand, the increase in reported overweight (including obesity) is steady and continues until 2017 to reach 39%. For reported obesity, the proportion of obese people has evolved in a similar way among men and women to reach around 14% in 2016.
The health agency explains that it based its results on telephone surveys conducted regularly among a representative national sample. Despite their declarative bias, these surveys have made it possible to confirm previous studies and to monitor changes in the corpulence of the French over a period of more than 20 years. These trends will have to be confirmed by the collection of measured anthropometric data, recognizes Public Health France.
Overweight and obesity are major risk factors for non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, certain cancers, or premature death, but also for certain infectious diseases as was highlighted during the Covid-19 crisis.