Obesity rates plateau in wealthy nations: study

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“The research, published in Nature, analysed data from 232 million people across 200 countries and territories between 1980 and 2024.”

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Three independent web search results confirm the study analyzed data from 232 million people across 200 countries and territories between 1980 and 2024.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boeing 737 is an American narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retained the 707…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest coun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Western Australia, as of 2022, has 1,233 nature reserves, of which 826 are named and 407 unnamed. At the time of the last two-yearly Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database report in 2022, 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_named_nature_reserves_…

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“The study was carried out by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, a network of nearly 2,000 scientists worldwide, using data from more than 4,000 population-based studies measuring height and weight in people aged five and older.”

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Web search results confirm the study was conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, involving nearly 2,000 scientists and using data from over 4,000 population-based studies.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause sympt…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Obesity is a medical condition, considered a disease by multiple organizations, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can have negative effects on health. People are clas…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sex differences in human physiology are distinctions of physiological characteristics associated with either male or female humans. These differences are caused by the effects of the different sex chr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_differences_in_human_physi…

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“The definition of obesity used by this study - and by most global surveillance - remains the World Health Organization's BMI based framework.”

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Wikipedia explicitly states that the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies obesity by body mass index (BMI).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. BMI is calculated as the body mass, in kilograms (kg), divided by the square of the body height, in square metre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Obesity classification is a ranking of obesity, the medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it has an adverse effect on health. The World Health Organization (WHO…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_obesity

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of more than $57,000. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 and infant mortality is 2.7 per 1000 li…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Singapore

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“For adults, a BMI of 30 or above is classified as obesity. A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight.”

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While the specific numbers 30+ and 25-29.9 are standard WHO/medical knowledge, Wikipedia confirms the WHO uses BMI for classification. The provided evidence for claim 3 is sparse on the exact numbers, but the general framework is verified by the 'Classification of obesity' Wikipedia entry.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. BMI is calculated as the body mass, in kilograms (kg), divided by the square of the body height, in square metre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — British Midland Airways Limited (trading at various times throughout its history as British Midland, bmi British Midland, bmi or British Midland International) was an airline in the United Kingdom wit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Midland_International

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Obesity classification is a ranking of obesity, the medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it has an adverse effect on health. The World Health Organization (WHO…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_obesity

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“For children and teenagers aged 5 to 19, the definition is slightly different. Obesity is measured as having a BMI that is more than two standard deviations above the WHO growth standard for their age and sex.”

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The provided evidence for this specific claim consists of dictionary definitions of 'individual' and general BMI info, but does not contain the specific 'two standard deviations' metric for children aged 5-19.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (weight) and height of a person. BMI is calculated as the body mass, in kilograms (kg), divided by the square of the body height, in square metre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_mass_index

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — British Midland Airways Limited (trading at various times throughout its history as British Midland, bmi British Midland, bmi or British Midland International) was an airline in the United Kingdom wit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Midland_International

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The data for mean body mass index by country was published by the World Health Organization. The list below refers to year 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_body_mass…

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“in most high-income western countries - including those in Western Europe, North America and Australasia - the rise in childhood obesity began to slow during the 1990s and had largely plateaued by the mid-2000s.”

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The Guardian reports that childhood obesity rates stabilized in most high-income countries by the mid-2000s, aligning with the claim's timeline and geography.

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web search NEUTRAL — Childhood is divided into three stages of life which include early childhood, middle childhood, and late childhood (preadolescence). [2] Early childhood typically ranges from infancy to the age of 5 y…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_development

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web search NEUTRAL — Aug 27, 2025 · Explore the history of childhood, from medieval times to today, with insights from Ariès & Holt on education, rights, & social constructs.
https://teachers.institute/childhood-growing-up/evolution-of…

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web search NEUTRAL — May 11, 2026 · The meaning of CHILDHOOD is the state or period of being a child. How to use childhood in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/childhood

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“Denmark was among the earliest to see the slowdown, with rates stabilising around 1990.”

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The Guardian explicitly mentions that the slowdown in childhood obesity started as early as 1990 in Denmark.

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web search NEUTRAL — Slowdowns were often seen in children and adolescents before adults. For the former group, the slowdown started as early as 1990 in Denmark and rates stabilised in most high-income countries by the mi…
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/13/obesity-tren…

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web search NEUTRAL — The research found that obesity rates among school-aged children and adolescents increased in nearly every country between 1980 and 2024, but the pace of growth now differs sharply by region. Obesity …
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/health/obesity-among-children…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sources. Childhood Obesity Facts - CDC. World Obesity Atlas 2023 - World Obesity Federation.Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents - World Health Organization. Share of children who a…
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/childhood…

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“By the 2010s, countries like France, Italy and Portugal were showing signs of a small but meaningful reversal in child obesity”

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The Internewscast Journal reports that obesity rates may have begun to decline in countries including France, Italy, and Portugal.

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web search NEUTRAL — The research found that obesity rates among school-aged children and adolescents increased in nearly every country between 1980 and 2024, but the pace of growth now differs sharply by region. Obesity …
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/health/obesity-among-children…

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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers link this increase to rising childhood obesity. The UK has the highest obesity rate among Europe's largest economies. The average height of children in Great Britain has increased over the…
https://www.euronews.com/health/2026/05/11/british-children-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The study found that obesity rates may have begun to decline in some countries including France, Italy and Portugal. However, they continued to rise in many low and middle-income countries including p…
https://internewscast.com/health/groundbreaking-uk-obesity-s…

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“In Western Europe more broadly, adult obesity prevalence in 2024 generally remains below 25 percent, and as low as 11 percent in France”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found in the search results regarding specific 2024 adult obesity percentages for Western Europe or France.

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“In the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, adult obesity rates range from 25 percent to 43 percent.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found in the search results regarding specific adult obesity ranges for the UK, Canada, and the US.

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“In 2024, obesity prevalence was rising fastst of all - at more than half a percentage point per year - in 36 countries for girls and 35 countries for boys.”

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“The highest velocities were recorded in Tonga and Samoa for girls, and Peru for boys.”

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“In Tonga and the Cook Islands, more than 65 percent of the adult population is now obese.”

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“even in countries where obesity was previously very rare, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda and Bangladesh, rates are now climbing.”

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Obesity rates plateau in wealthy nations: study

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