global health: where are we going?the world, then we can make choices that support the production
and consumption of healthful food from which people can make
a healthy living. At the same time, these healthy choices can pre-
serve the ecological balance of other species on the planet, which
eventually effects our survival.
Major Killers Go Global!
As noted by the Economic Research Service of the USDA, “de-
spite the persistence of food insecurity, food consumption has
been rising in many developing countries, and with it has come
higher rates of being overweight and obesity....”^5
The WHO projects that by 2015, approximately 2.3 billion adults
will be overweight, or about 30 percent of the world’s population;
and more than 700 million will be obese, or about 10 percent of
the world’s population. Initially this appeared to be only a problem
in high-income countries, but now being overweight and obese are
dramatically occurring in low- and middle-income countries, par-
ticularly in urban settings.^6 Being overweight and obese greatly
increases the risk of many of the world’s leading disease-related
killers. These are listed below.^7
- Cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and
stroke, is already the number one killer in the world, killing
17 million people annually. - Diabetes, which is becoming a global epidemic, will increase
by more than 50 percent worldwide in the next ten years. - Some cancers, including endometrial, breast, and colon.
- Musculoskeletal disorders, especially osteoarthritis.
Furthermore, childhood obesity is associated with a higher
chance of premature death and disability in adulthood.^8
These statistics point to a crisis situation. Many low-income
countries are now facing a double burden of risk: They continue
to deal with problems of infectious disease and under-nutrition