I admit it.  I stereotype people on occasion.  Ed can probably write all about my irrational disdain for backpackers (and why I have proudly taken my wheelie throughout Southeast Asia’s often unpaved roads).  Well, most stereotypes get busted and one that surprisingly did on this trip was my firm belief that Asians, as a group, every single one of them, are thin.  Sure, most are, but much to my surprise I’ve seen dozens of people both on the street and tourists like myself who are on the heavier side, adults and children alike.  I suppose it’s not a surprise, given the prevalence of processed foods and candy.  Oreos are everywhere!

Given that obesity has taken a main position in the pantheon of health problems in the U.S., contributing to increases in Type II Diabetes, heart problems, and life-style difficulties, I thought I would take a look at how this issue is affecting this region and the world at large.

While my stereotype of the small, thin Asian isn’t totally off base– I have a hard time shopping in many of the stores here–there is a growing weight problem in some of these countries, seemingly in the more affluent ones (with access to high-fat/calorie, low nutrition foods).  According to wrongdiagnosis.com, roughly 12,000,000 people from Vietnam’s 82,700,000 population are overweight.  That’s a pretty heavy statistic!  Similarly in Thailand, over 10% of the population is overweight.  Of course, that doesn’t come close to America’s whopping 25% obesity rate.

But guess what?  Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. is not the most obese country in the world.  According to The Economist, the U.S. ranks #5 for men and #8 for women in terms of percentage of population that are obese.  The ones who tip the scale? Lebanon, Qatar, Kuwait and Panama for men and Qatar, Saudi Arabia, West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Panama, Albania, and Bahrain for the women.  There’s something in the Middle Eastern cooking… or lifestyle.

The spread of obesity is clearly a global problem, especially as the trappings of the sedentary lifestyle keep more people behind the wheels of a car or moto, or at a desk rather than walking, cycling, and working outdoors.  Of even greater concern is the fact that obesity is not unique to developed countries.  As I have seen, many developing countries suffer from obesity, with the cause being easy access to cheap high fat/calorie and low-nutrient rich food.

So while the U.S. certainly isn’t winning any awards for thinness, neither is the rest of the world– probably to everyone’s detriment.  It’s just so hard to choose a banana when those Oreos look so damn good.

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/o/obesity/stats-country.htm

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/12/world.obesity/  

http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/publications/facts/obesity/en/