Worldwide, obesity and overweight have become the diseases that most concern expert and specialized health professionals; not only because of the numerous consequences to health in general, but also because of its worrying increase in recent years.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity and overweight are “an abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat that can be harmful to health.”
When determining whether or not a person is obese or overweight, it is important to measure the Body Mass Index (BMI), which is an indicator between a person’s weight and their height.
Guatemala in 2035
Guatemala is not excluded in this situation, since statistics and estimates suggest that the country will have an increase in cases of obesity and overweight in the coming years.
According to the Obesity in the World Atlas 2024 study by the World Federation against Obesity, which records global and regional estimates of these cases, Guatemala is at a point where the number of adults and children with a high Body Mass Index (BMI) is constantly growing.
According to the estimate, by 2025 Guatemala could have approximately 7 million adults and almost 3 million children with high BMI, and this number is expected to reach its most critical point in 2035.
“The annual growth rate in the number of adults with high BMI is 3.5% from 2020 to 2035, while the growth in children will be 3.1%,” the study notes.
In the case of children, it is expected that by 2035 there will be more than 276,566 with hypertension problems, 109,340 with hyperglycemia and 308,894 with cholesterol problems.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat of Food and Nutrition Security of the Presidency of the Republic affirms that in 2024, 40% of minors between 7 and 11 years old are either overweight or obese, among adolescents between 13 and 15 years old it covers 29.4% overweight and 8.4% obese; while those over 18 years of age are 38.4% overweight and 28.8% obese.
Alejandro Salvatierra, medical manager of the diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and urology area of the pharmaceutical company Asofarma confirms that obesity in Guatemala is increasingly worrying due to its constant growth.
“Obesity and overweight are actually triggers of diseases that, in the case of the young population, will be seen in a few years and with greater severity if we do not prepare,” explains Salvatierra.
Increase in childhood cases
According to Carla Franco, a nutritionist who works at the League against Obesity and Overweight in Guatemala, many of the cases they have treated come from the capital city, and are not only limited to older adults, but have also occurred in school-age children.
“A few years ago it was specifically adults who came with problems of overweight or obesity, but now pediatric patients present, that is, children between the ages of six to 12 years and adolescents between 12 and 18 years old,” says the nutritionist. .
Increase in urban area
Among the environmental factors that indirectly promote obesity and overweight, in addition to greenhouse gas emissions, plastic waste and insufficient exercise, there is also the increase in the population living in urban areas and the annual increase in urbanization.
Franco details that the possible factors that lead to the capital city being the place in Guatemala with the highest cases of overweight is because it is an area with the greatest labor movement.
“The work environment that can foster high levels of stress and anxiety, quick access to processed food and little mobility within the urban area usually negatively affect a person’s health condition,” says Franco.
Salvatierra complements that the increase in sedentary jobs, easy access to unnatural foods and the lack of physical mobility due to factors such as the structure of the urban area and aspects such as vehicular traffic increase the possibility of suffering from obesity.
“A few years ago the urban population of Guatemala was close to 39% and now we are at more than 50%. The biggest nutritional problem in this country is no longer malnutrition in children, although it is still a fairly serious problem, it is now obesity in adults, mainly in women, and the unfortunate consequences that we will not see now, but in 10 and 15 years. “, warns Salvatierra.
Stigmatization
In addition to physical problems, obesity also causes psychological problems.
“There is a lot of stigma attached to overweight patients due to their appearance, which can cause emotional problems. Likewise, when we have patients who have managed to lose weight, there may be that fear of gaining weight again,” says Franco.
Salvatierra complements that, in society, high standards have been promoted regarding appearance, which causes insecurity problems in people with obesity when trying to obtain those appearances that, in the doctor’s words, are not real.
“Although it is true that people should accept themselves as they are, it is important to take care of their health by avoiding falling into a sedentary lifestyle and consuming unhealthy food. Let us remember that obesity is a disease and has many consequences. We should not seek to reach those beauty standards, because it is not an aesthetic problem, it is a health and well-being problem,” says Salvatierra.
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