One in 10 children worldwide obese — UN report
Obesity surpassed underweight as the more prevalent form of malnutrition this year, affecting 1 in 10 – or 188 million – school-aged children and adolescents, and placing them at risk of life-threatening diseases, UNICEF warned in a new report today.
Data from over 190 countries finds the prevalence of underweight among children aged 5-19 has declined since 2000, from nearly 13 per cent to 9.2 per cent, while obesity rates have increased from three per cent to 9.4 per cent.
Obesity now exceeds underweight in all regions of the world, except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
According to the findings, several Pacific Island countries have the highest prevalence of obesity globally, including 38 per cent of five to 19-year-olds in Niue, 37 per cent in the Cook Islands and 33 per cent in Nauru.
These levels – which have all doubled since 2000 – are largely driven by a shift from traditional diets to cheap, energy-dense, imported foods.
Meanwhile, many high-income countries continue to have high levels of obesity. For example, 27 per cent of five to 19-year-olds in Chile are living with obesity, 21 per cent in the United States and 21 per cent in the United Arab Emirates.
While undernutrition – such as wasting and stunting – remains a significant concern among children under five in most low- and middle-income countries, the prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing among school-aged children and adolescents.
According to the latest available data, one in five children and adolescents aged 5-19 globally – or 391 million – are overweight, with a large proportion of them now classified as living with obesity. Children are considered overweight when they are significantly heavier than what is healthy for their age, sex and height.
Obesity is a severe form of overweight and leads to a higher risk of developing insulin resistance and high blood pressure, as well as life-threatening diseases later in life, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.
