Obesity among 18-24 year olds has increased by 90% in one year in Brazil

Obesity among 18-24 year olds has increased by 90% in one year in Brazil


The survey data also indicates that 31.6% of young people in this age group have already received a medical diagnosis of anxiety

In 2022, 9% of young Brazilians between the ages of 18 and 24 had a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30, which constitutes obesity. In 2023, this percentage jumped to 17.1%, an increase of 90%.

The data is part of the Telephone Survey on Risk Factors for Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases in Times of Pandemic (Covitel), developed by the Federal University of Pelotas (FOPEl) in collaboration with the global public health organization Vital Strategies.

The numbers show that, in this same age group, 31.6% of young people have already received a medical diagnosis of anxiety and 32.6% report an episode of alcohol abuse (four doses or more for young women and five doses or more for young people on the same occasion) in the 30 days preceding the interview.

Food and physical activity

The group is also the one who consumes fruit and vegetables the least regularly: only 33.5% and 39.2%, respectively, include these foods in their diet five or more times a week.

The consumption of soft drinks and artificial juices also stands out in this age group, considered an indicator of an unhealthy diet: 24.3% of young people accuse them of frequent consumption (five or more times a week).

Furthermore, only 36.9% of them practice the 150 minutes of physical activity per week recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and, at the same time, spend the so-called screen time, with 76.1% using like cellphone, tablets or television for three or more hours a day for recreation.

According to the survey, sleep in the population aged 18 to 24 is also compromised, with only 54.2% of them sleeping the number of hours recommended for their age (seven to nine hours a day, according to the National Sleep Foundation).

Lack of sleep can have an impact on some chronic conditions: 8.2% of these young people have already had a medical diagnosis of hypertension, while 14.1% of the population in this age group have already received a medical diagnosis of depression.

The survey listened to 9,000 Brazilians aged 18 and over, from capitals and cities in the interior of Brazil’s five regions, by telephone (landline and mobile), between January and April 2023.

general population

The same study also pointed out that currently 56.8% of Brazilians are overweight. The percentage represents the sum of overweight and obese people, i.e. with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. The rate reaches 68.5% in the age group between 45 and 54 years and the 40 ,3% among the youngest, from 18 to 24 years old.

Furthermore, 10.3% of the population has a medical diagnosis of diabetes. The most affected groups are people aged 65 and over (26.2%) and people with up to eight years of schooling (15.7%). With regard to arterial hypertension, 26.6% of Brazilians received the diagnosis, with a higher prevalence among women (30.8%), the elderly over 65 years (62.5%) and those with up to at eight years of schooling (38%). Among the more educated, the prevalence drops to less than half (15.6%).

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Source: Terra

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