The WHO announced last March: obesity now affects more than a billion people worldwide. Luxembourg is not spared, despite the programs and structures put in place to fight against this scourge.
Considered a “chronic, multifactorial and complex” disease by the WHO, obesity is a social issue. Drawing on the latest figures available in France, Pirate MP Sven Clement found that the number of people suffering from obesity had “increased considerably over the last decades”. Eight and a half million French people are thus affected.
What is the situation in Luxembourg, he wanted to know. The Minister of Health and Social Security, Martine Deprez, gave him the latest figures available to her. Unsurprisingly, and as already mentioned several times over the years, “the situation in Luxembourg is similar to that in France”, she replied in a ministerial response this Thursday, November 28. “In 2019, 16.5% of adults were affected by obesity, figures slightly higher than those in 2014.” Another observation: “the proportion of people suffering from obesity increases with age”.
These data are based on a European survey, the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). In addition to this increase in cases, the study noted that the proportion of obese adults varies according to the level of education: the lower it is, the higher the proportion of obese people. It is thus three times greater between a person with a basic level of education than for a person with a high level of education, 28.1% compared to 9.9% in 2019.
Control programs
And if adults are concerned by the phenomenon, other studies, such as Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC), or data collected by school medicine, show that children are too. Among young people aged 11 to 18 attending school in Luxembourg, 14% were obese in 2006 and 21% in 2022. Note that, again according to studies, when the level of well-being perceived by young people is low, the risk of overweight/obesity increases.
Faced with this state of affairs, Luxembourg is developing programs. For example, “Eat Healthy, Move More” (GIMB) aims to promote a balanced diet and regular physical activity for the entire population. “This program is regularly evaluated and adapted,” adds Martine Deprez.
Another angle of attack, the skills network projects on childhood and adult obesity are being set up, supposed to provide additional support.
Finally, projects aimed at recognizing obesity as a chronic disease are under discussion. “This can be the first step towards better care and less stigma,” believes the minister.
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