Costa Rica News – Have you ever looked around Costa Rica and thought to yourself, it seems that there are a plethora of women that are overweight? Are Costa Rican women fat? The short answer for many is yes.
The World Health Organization presented its findings on world obesity rates this month. The study found that Costa Rican women are among the most obese and overweight in the world. 12.7% of local women under the age of 20 are obese or overweight. 28.8% of women over 20 years old also fit this description.
The percentages of overweight and obese women were calculated in 188 countries for the study. Women under 20 years old came in 16th place and over 20 years old in 42nd place. Both of these numbers however put the country in the top 20% of countries with obesity.
Costa Rican women face obesity more than men in the same country. Metabolic rate, biology and social roles all cause women to be more likely to become obese than men. Women do not have as much time to exercise as men do and the energy that they use to do daily activities is significantly less than the same energy used by men in a single activity.
Obesity in both men and women is on the rise due to the influence of junk food and sedentary lifestyles. Obesity and simply being overweight puts people at risk of developing other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension which can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
