“We have doubled the percentage of obesity among young people in just a few years.” A guest on BFMTV this Thursday night, nutritionist Jean-Michel Cohen shared his concern for the health of French youth.
According to a study by the League Against Obesity, carried out in 2020, the obesity rate in France is 17% in 2023 compared to 8.5% in 1997. The study, carried out through a survey of approximately 10,000 people representative of the population, specifies that 47% of French they weigh too much compared to medical recommendations. Among them, a sixth of the French (17%) would be obese, that is, at a weight level considered unhealthy rather than simply overweight.
9.2% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are obese
The increase in obesity especially affects young people between the ages of 18 and 24. The latter are, in absolute terms, the least affected age group with one tenth, 9.2%, obese, but this proportion has more than quadrupled in the last twenty years. In 1997, 2.1% of 18-24 year olds were obese, up from 9.2% in 2020.
“It is a chronic disease, which will last. Junk food is just around the corner”, laments the nutritionist, who recalls that eating behavior is greatly influenced by purchasing power.
Thus, according to the same study, 18% of workers are obese, compared to 10% of senior managers. More generally, between 2000 and 2020, obesity increased 2.5 points among executives and 9 points among workers.
“Depending on economic power, we know that there are disparities in people’s behavior,” summarizes the nutritionist.
The “scourge” of the century
The latter denounces in particular the harmful effects of advertising and the “hype” of certain sectors. Jean-Michel Cohen uses in particular the example of “five fruits and vegetables a day”, a figure that “is not exact”. The ideal is to consume “3 to 5 fruits and vegetables a day, for a minimum of 400 grams.”
“It was a mistake in the sector, but only 40% of the French practice it, so these campaigns are useless,” he believes, adding that “food education is part of the vulgar of senior officials.”
“On a beautiful lutter against tabagisme, l’alcoolisme mais on ne lutte pas assez contre la malbouffe. Le fléau des temps prochains est l’obésité, ça l’est déjà aujourd’hui”, abonde au micro de BFMTV Jérôme Marty, General practitioner. “We are catching up with the United States.”
Source: BFM TV
