Financial crisis spurred obesity: OECD

The 2008 financial crisis spurred obesity's spread in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's 34 member countries -- most of whose inhabitants are overweight, an OECD report said Tuesday.
The grouping, which includes the world's richest nations, has seen obesity levels continue to rise over the past five years, albeit more slowly than before.
"One in five children is overweight, on average, in OECD countries, but rates are as high as one in three in countries like Greece, Italy, Slovenia and the United States," said a press statement.
The economic crisis was partly to blame, the OECD report said, with less spending on food overall, and a switch to cheaper, high-calorie junk alternatives.
The report noted a 5.6-percent drop in fruit and vegetable consumption for every one-percent rise in unemployment in the United States in the period 2007-09.
Obesity claims a heavy personal and financial toll in terms of diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, according to AFP.