afp | For the first time, according to UN data, more children and adolescents are overweight than undernourished worldwide. As a report published on Tuesday by UNICEF, the UN Children’s Fund, shows, the number of obese people in this age group has tripled between 2000 and 2022 to reach 9.4 percent. The share of underweight children and adolescents, in the same period, fell by nearly four percentage points and stands at 9.2 percent.
“When we talk about malnutrition, it is no longer only about underweight children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Obesity is a growing problem that can affect children’s health and development. Highly processed foods are increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and proteins at a stage in which nutrition plays a crucial role for growth, cognitive development, and mental health,” she warned.
Overall, according to the latest available data from 2022, 391 million children and adolescents aged five to 19 were affected by overweight, the report states. 188 million were even obese.
In Germany, one in four people aged five to 19 is overweight, with a slightly rising trend: from 24 percent in 2000, the share increased to 25 percent by 2022. The proportion of obese children in this age group remains at eight percent, the report further states.
Pacific Island States Particularly Affected
Obesity is, according to UNICEF, for the first time more common than underweight in nearly all world regions. The exceptions are countries south of the Sahara and South Asian states.
The world’s highest obesity rates among five- to 19-year-olds are therefore found in the Pacific island states. Here, according to UNICEF, the figures have doubled since 2000. In the island state of Niue, for example, 38 percent of children and adolescents are obese, on the Cook Islands their share is 37 percent, and in Nauru 33 percent. The rise is mainly due to the shift from traditional diets to inexpensive, energy-dense imported foods.
But also in Chile, 27 percent of five- to 19-year-olds are obese. In the United States and the United Arab Emirates, the figure is 21 percent in each case.
The reasons are, according to UNICEF, “highly processed foods and fast food with a high content of sugar, refined starch, salt, unhealthy fats, and additives.” This type of food is inexpensive and is “aggressively marketed” in places where children gather. In addition, advertising by food and beverage companies reaches children and adolescents through digital channels.
The children’s aid organization warns of the far-reaching consequences of poor nutrition. Overweight children are more often absent from school, have problems with their self-esteem, and are more frequently subjected to bullying. Overweight and obesity can also have lasting harmful effects on health throughout life and lead to high costs for health systems as well as reduced economic productivity.
