In earlier historical periods<unk>  was rare, and achievable only by a small elite, although already recognised as a problem for health. But as prosperity increased in the Early Modern period, it affected increasingly larger groups of the population. Prior to the 1970s,<unk>  was a relatively rare condition even in the wealthiest of nations, and when it did exist it tended to occur among the wealthy. Then, a confluence of events started to change the human condition. The average BMI of populations in first-world countries started to increase and, consequently, there was a rapid increase in the proportion of people overweight and<unk> ese. In 1997, the WHO formally recognized<unk>  as a global epidemic. As of 2008, the WHO estimates that at least 500 million adults (greater than 10%) are<unk> ese, with higher rates among women than men. The global prevalence of<unk>  more than doubled between 1980 and 2014. In 2014, more than 600 million adults were<unk> ese, equal to about 13 percent of the world’s adult population. The percentage of adults affected in the United States as of 2015–2016 is about 39.6% overall (37.9% of males and 41.1% of females). The rate of<unk>  also increases with age at least up to 50 or 60 years old and severe<unk>  in the United States, Australia, and Canada is increasing faster than the overall rate of<unk> . The OECD has projected an increase in<unk>  rates until at least 2030, especially in the United States, Mexico and England with rates reaching 47%, 39% and 35%, respectively. Once considered a problem only of high-income countries,<unk>  rates are rising worldwide and affecting both the developed and developing world. These increases have been felt most dramatically in urban settings. The only remaining region of the world where<unk>  is not common is sub-Saharan Africa.
Obesity
Heart failure
Body mass index
Metabolic syndrome
Abdominal obesity
Family history 
Dry sex
Smoking