Nearly two-thirds of Dutch will be overweight by 2050: RIMV
The percentage of Netherlands residents who are overweight will increase significantly in the coming years. In 2022, exactly half of Dutch were overweight. That will rise to 64 percent in 2050, the RIVM reported in the new Public Health Outlook. The increase is visible in every age group, but most in the group aged 18 to 44.
“Overweight is increasing and is also starting earlier in life,” the RIVM said. In 1990, 17 percent of 20-29 year olds were overweight. In 2020, that had already increased to 32 percent and the RIVM expects this development to continue.
“Once someone is overweight, it is very difficult to lose it,” the RIVM said, adding that its study did not consider new developments, like health insurers reimbursing weight loss medication. The RIVM will publish the full Public Health Outlook, a four-yearly report that provides insight into future health challenges in the Netherlands, on Wednesday.
Liesbeth van Rossum, a professor of Obesity at the Erasmus MC and chair of the Partnership OVerweight Netherlands, is not surprised by the figures. “But I am seriously concerned. Overweight is often dismissed as a cosmetic problem, but it is a huge problem for public health,” she told RTL Nieuws. “Many chronic diseases are caused by obesity or are more difficult to treat due to it. Think of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various types of cancer, and joint complaints, but also depression.”
“If the number of people with overweight and obesity increases, the number of chronically ill people will also increase,” Van Rossum told the broadcaster. Last week, the RIVM also projected a significant increase in people with chronic illnesses in the coming years.
According to Van Rossum, the current care for people who are overweight or obese must be better organized. “Care and the social domain need to work together, which is also stated in the National Prevention Agreement that was concluded in 2018. So not only tackling high blood pressure with medication but also looking at stress or problems that cause overweight.”
