Well, you’re sort of right and sort of wrong. I’m going to talk about fat people, but I’m going to broaden my scope, so to speak. It’s not just a problem in the U.S. It seems the world has taken a new shine to being overweight, too. Other countries, besides the U.S., have sounded the alarm that their people are gaining girth around the middle. The obesity rates keep climbing, and seem to be accelerating.

At one time, Americans were looked upon as being the big guys on the planet, what with our affluence and bountiful cornucopia of food and equally bountiful waist sizes. Europeans looked down on us as being “those fat Americans.” Well, they still look down on us (especially the French). But these days, they might have trouble seeing around their own stomachs.

The British actually see obesity as a health catastrophe about to happen. It seems Britain’s obesity rate was at 14% just 10 years ago, but it has now ballooned to 21%. We Americans are at an obesity rate of 26% right now. That’s over 1 in 4 people who are not just overweight, but outright obese.

On the last episode of The Simpson’s, Springfield was deemed “The fattest town in the U.S.A.” I have to admit that it was really funny, but then again, it’s a cartoon, folks. They blamed their obesity on their addiction to sugar, so sugar was banned.

Looking back to our global brethren, much of this information comes from reports of the World Health Organization in recent years. They have documented the obesity problem to the point that they actually call it an epidemic. It will affect a country’s economy by bringing on huge medical expenses.

To show you another example of the frightening statistics, did you know that in Australia 10 years ago, the obesity rate was 8.7%, and it’s up to 20.8% in 2002. This is a gigantic increase, and really demonstrates the dramatic change in people’s diets, lifestyles, and waistlines.

With such a surge in obesity worldwide comes a related surge in the incidence of diabetes. There could be over 320 million diabetics worldwide in the next 15 years. That’s more than the entire population of the United States. Diabetes is a disease that we all know can be dangerous, but it is also very expensive to manage.

There are bound to be many economic complications of diabetes-lost work time, less productivity, more resources being devoted to health care. How will this affect the world’s economies? That’s not to mention the blindness, amputations, and early deaths that can result from advanced cases of diabetes. It’s a personally, nationally, and globally devastating disease.

Let’s look to our southern neighbors in Mexico. Did you know that over the past decade, the percentage of people age 18-49 who are obese has gone past 60% in Mexico? That’s right. It’s truly mind-boggling.

Even though our diets have changed for the worse, it’s also apparent that we do a lot less exercise, even in everyday life. Want some examples? Well, in China, with its billions of people, it seems that most of the population used to ride bicycles everywhere. But with the introduction of motor scooters, the Chinese no longer have to pedal to work, shop, or perform everyday tasks. The scooters save physical labor but they result in obesity and health problems.

Let’s go to another part of the world-Sweden. Here’s an interesting tidbit. The lumberjacks there no longer need to burn up 7,000 calories to chop down a tree and haul away the logs. Now they use machines to do the physical labor, and they’re starting to pack on the pounds.

In Malaysia, highway workers used to do lots of manual labor, what with shoveling and pick axing and such. But now they rely on bulldozers and other machines to get the job done. Sure, the roads are better, but their waistlines are bigger.

If anything good comes out of this fat boom, it’s probably to the benefit of the Japanese. They went from an obesity rate of 2.3% 10 years ago to only 2.9% now. They still have a diet of fish and rice, and this happens to be a place where beef is very expensive. I have to give them credit for having a smaller percentage increase in obesity over the past decade than other developed countries.

How about Africa? It’s often known as a land of famine and poverty. Well, Africa is not immune to the effects of obesity. Many people are familiar with the fact that in Africa, nearly 1 person in 4 has the AIDS virus. As a result, in parts of Africa, obesity is a badge of honor. It seems that among the up-and-coming and affluent Africans, obesity (or a full figure) is a mark of beauty, fertility, and prosperity. Being obese in Africa is seen as a sign that you don’t have AIDS. Many people believe this, because they associate wasting syndrome with AIDS. They don’t realize that you can’t tell who has AIDS just by looking.

And how is the world’s population trying to cope with this obesity epidemic? Well, many countries are using the schools to educate children in a healthier lifestyle. I’ve always been an advocate of educating the public. Hopefully, you’re being educated by reading my column.

The real key, though, will be putting what you learn into action by putting your body into action, instead of just laying around gaining weight.