France, April 5 -- Obesity rates in France have doubled since the late 1990s, affecting around 10 million people. Behind those numbers are lives shaped not just by health concerns, but by judgment, exclusion, and silence. Now, a growing push to recognise obesity as a disease is challenging both medical norms and deep-rooted stigma.
The situation is particularly acute in the overseas territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, where obesity rates for the 18-24 age group are 23 percent and 41 percent respectively, according to a recent report.
Obesity is now the fourth most common cause of mortality worldwide. It is a high risk factor for diseases including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
In 1997 the World Health Organization (W...