Globally, obesity is likely now more prevalent among school-aged children and adolescents than being underweight, according to a new report from UNICEF, which blamed increasingly unhealthy food environments worldwide for the shift. The U.N. children's agency based its estimates on data from 2000-2022 compiled by academics in countries around the world, who first predicted in 2017 that this "tipping point" would be reached in the coming years.
UNICEF used the data to project what has happened since 2022, based on trends since 2010. It found that 1 in 10, or roughly 188 million, school-aged children and adolescents have obesity based on the World Health Organization’s criteria, putting them at risk of lifelong health problems, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Obesity rates in that age group have more than tripled, from 3% in 2000 to 9.4%, UNICEF said. That compares with a decline in the prevalence of underweight children among those aged 5-19, from nearly 13% in 2000 to 9.2% – meaning this is also still a significant problem, the report acknowledged.
"When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell.
Obesity now exceeds underweight in all regions of the world other than sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, UNICEF added. In some Pacific Island countries like Niue and the Cook Islands, the worst-affected globally, nearly 40% of 5-19-year-olds have obesity, the report said. Rates are at 21% in the United Arab Emirates and the United States, it added. In some countries, like the U.S., doctors are now back using the recently developed weight-loss drugs for teens. UNICEF said ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt and fat and near ubiquitous marketing of unhealthy products, were a key factor in the rise in obesity.
"Obesity is not a failure of parents or children. It's the result of toxic food environments," said Chris Van Tulleken, professor of global health at University College London, UNICEF backer and author of the book "Ultra-Processed People."
In a UNICEF poll of 64,000 young people aged 13-24 from 170 countries, 75% of respondents said they had seen adverts for sugary drinks, snacks or fast food in the last week. Even in conflict-affected countries, 68% of young people reported seeing this type of advert.
UNICEF said action was urgently needed from governments worldwide, including marketing restrictions and bans on junk food in schools.
