The increase is thought to be a consequence of growing rates of overweight and obesity.
Broadcaster Joan Bakewell has apologised after suggesting that growing rates of eating disorders among teenagers are a sign of "narcissism".
Venezuela has hyperinflation heading towards 2,000%, plunging supplies of food and medicine, and growing rates of malnutrition and murder.
"The growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are alarming," said the report's author, ODI research fellow Steve Wiggins.
South Africa has one of the world's fastest growing rates of H.I.V. infection, with 4.2 million people -- almost 10percentt of the population -- estimated to have the virus.
Gay men are at high risk for H.I.V. and other S.T.D.'s, and higher rates of unsafe sexual behavior have recently led to growing rates of infection with syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia in this population.
With this comes a growing health toll, including an HIV infection rate among steroid users which has reached 1.5% – as high as that for injectors of drugs such as heroin – and growing rates of hepatitis B and C infection.
Britain has one of the fastest growing rates of obesity in the world, with more than 23.6% of men and 23.8% of women having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more in 2006.
"If we can raise our collective score by just over 10 points, we help Australia mitigate against the growing rates of obesity and lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and a third of all cancers".
So far most public health work has focused on obvious areas of need: stop smoking campaigns, sexual health advice for young people, new ways to tackle growing rates of obesity and stem the rise in diabetes diagnoses.
