The obesity epidemic as harbinger of a metabolic disorder epidemic: trends in overweight, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes treatment in Geneva, Switzerland, 1993-2003.
Increases in obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes may be under way in Europe. We have reported the only data available from the 1990s for continuous monitoring of chronic disease risk factors in random samples of a general European population. In random surveys (1993-2003) of 6164 men and 6107 women in Geneva, overweight and obesity combined increased in both men and women; hypercholesterolemia prevalence also rose; diabetes treatment increased in men. Only population-based interventions can prevent the impending epidemic of obesity-related disorders.
Morabia
Alfredo
A
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Geneva University Hospital, 25, Rue Micheli-du-Crest, CH-1211 Geneva 14 Switzerland. a.morabia@hcuge.ch
Costanza
Michael C
MC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology