EDITORIAL February 16, 2026 February 16, 2026

Obesity in Brazil: 214 million reasons to act

DOI: 10.20945/2359-4292-2026-0009

World Obesity Day was established by the World Obesity Federation in 2015 and, since 2020, has been celebrated on March 4th as a strategy to raise awareness of the importance of unified actions to tackle the obesity epidemic, which is continuously growing worldwide, with no signs of reduction (,). This increase has been more rapid in low- and middle-income countries and, within countries, has been disproportionately higher among vulnerable populations and younger individuals (,).

In 2026, the campaign motto is “8 billion reasons to act”, referring to the current world population. Why is that? The World Obesity Federation (WOF) Atlas shows that, at this very moment, half of humanity lives with overweight or obesity, including more than one billion people with obesity itself (). However, discussing and acting on obesity is a matter that concerns everyone. Obesity is associated with more than 200 diseases, increased disability and mortality, and major impairment in quality of life (,). Its impact extends beyond those who live with the disease, affecting society as a whole. As an example, the obesity epidemic imposes a substantial economic burden through direct healthcare costs and indirect costs such as work absenteeism (), and it also impacts climate change and sustainability (). Furthermore, providing healthy environments for people living with chronic diseases — especially children — is a human right that should be defended collectively.

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