Global Obesity Study on Drivers for Weight Reduction Strategies
To assess factors determining the reaction of individuals to the threats of overweight and obesity and to examine the interdependencies between weight-reducing strategies.
The worldwide prevalence of obesity has nearly doubled between 1980 and 2008. For 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that globally about 35% of adults aged 20 years and above were overweight and 12% were obese [1] . Overweight is defined as obesity starts if the BMI exceeds 30. The pervasiveness of obesity is no longer a phenomenon of western high-income countries but is as well on the rise in low- and middle-income countries [1] . This worldwide epidemic prompts detrimental consequences for individuals and societies.
