Research article

Obesity prevalence from a European perspective: a systematic review

Anne Berghöfer¹ , Tobias Pischon² , Thomas Reinhold¹ , Caroline M Apovian³ , Arya M Sharma⁴ and Stefan N Willich¹

¹Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Center, Berlin, Germany

²Department of Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE) Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Germany

³Center for Nutrition and Weight Management, Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

⁴Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management, McMaster University Medical Center, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

author email corresponding author email

BMC Public Health 2008, 8:200doi:10.1186/1471-2458-8-200

Published:	5 June 2008

Abstract

Background

Obesity has been recognised as an important contributing factor in the development of various diseases, but comparative data on this condition are limited. We therefore aimed to identify and discuss current epidemiological data on the prevalence of obesity in European countries.

Methods

We identified relevant published studies by means of a MEDLINE search (1990–2008) supplemented by information obtained from regulatory agencies. We only included surveys that used direct measures of weight and height and were representative of each country's overall population.

Results

In Europe, the prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m²) in men ranged from 4.0% to 28.3% and in women from 6.2% to 36.5%. We observed considerable geographic variation, with prevalence rates in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe being higher than those in Western and Northern Europe.

Conclusion

In Europe, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The data presented in our review emphasise the need for effective therapeutic and preventive strategies.