World Obesity Day 2022: Theme, Quotes, History and Significance

Know about the global problem of obesity and why is world obesity day such an important day for us.

World obesity day is celebrated on 4th March every year. Image used for representative purposes. 

(Image: iStock)

World obesity day is celebrated on Friday, 4 March, every year with an aim to make people aware of the problem of obesity so that they can take steps to end it.

Obesity is a global problem and this day is celebrated not only to educate people but also to remind them not to body shame others. In order to celebrate this day, a global campaign is organised by World Health Organisation together with World Obesity Federation.

As per the reports by WHO, the problem of obesity has tripled since the year 1975 among the children, adolescents, and all age groups of both developed and developing countries. Let's know about the history, significance, and theme of world obesity day.

World Obesity Day: History

The history of this day goes back to 2015 when World Obesity Federation had started to work with WHO and Lancet Commission on raising awareness regarding the situation. Later in 2016, the organisation focused on childhood obesity and in 2017 it came up with a theme, "Treat obesity now and avoid the consequences later".

World Obesity Day: Significance

Obesity is much more than it appears to be from the surface. It is not just about being lazy or overweight. It affects a person mentally and causes damage to the vital organs like liver and kidneys as well.

Obesity can result in various chronic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, strokes, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, etc. The main objective behind celebrating this day is to "lead and drive global efforts to reduce, prevent and treat obesity".

World Obesity Day: Theme 

The theme on world obesity day for the year 2022 is "Everybody needs to act".

World Obesity Day: Quotes

"Obesity affects every aspect of a people’s lives, from health to relationships." – Jane Velezmitchell

"Fixing obesity is going to require a change in our modern relationship with food. I’m hopeful that we begin to see a turnaround in this childhood obesity epidemic." – S. Jay Olshansky

"If we don’t somehow stem the tide of childhood obesity, we’re going to have a huge problem."– Lance Armstrong

"Epidemic obesity is arguably the gravest public health crisis we face and inarguably the least controlled." – David L. Katz