The diagram presents main trends in the number of people with extra weight. The information focuses on measurements from four countries located in different parts of the world: Japan, Finland, Australia, and the United States from 1980 to 2000.
Firstly, the gradual growth of the overweight adults’ percentage is a quite typical trend for all geographical contexts. The statistics demonstrate the lowest indicators in 1980 for all four countries and the highest in 2000. Secondly, the maximum variance in percentages is shown by the USA, with 15% in 1980, 25% in 1990, and approximately 35% in 2000. They are predisposed to such results, as lifestyle factors like fast food consumption and sedentary behavior are typical for this nation. In contrast, Japan presents the minimum – less than 5% during the entire period. Presumably, the reason for that lies in eating habits of the Japanese nation, who is widely known for their preference of low-calorie dishes. Both Finland and Australia had the same number of adult individuals with extra weight (around 7% in 1980), but in 1990 Australia’s indicators started to grow faster than the Scandinavian country’s percentage, with a difference of ~2-3%. The total separation of these two countries’ correlations took place in 2000, when Australia exceeded 20%. In contrast, Finland’s indicator was twice as low that year.
All in all, while rising obesity rates represented a universal trend during this period, the speed of increase varied by country. These differences between these four nations highlight how different factors, especially cultural and dietary, affect global health trends.