For the first time, there are more children in the world that are obese than with low weight

For the first time in history, more children are obese than with low weight, a change that UNICEF says it is putting millions of children at risk of potentially fatal diseases.

The analysis of the UN Agency, which covered data from more than 190 countries between 2000 and 2022 and the projections since then, discovered that one in 10 school -age children, around 188 million worldwide, is obese under the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Meanwhile, one in five children under 19 worldwide, or 391 million, is overweight. Children are considered overweight if they have excess weight for their age, sex and height, while obesity is a more severe way that greatly increases the risk of serious health problems later in life.

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Between 2000 and 2022, global obesity rates between five to 19 years that tripled, jumping from 3% to 9.4%. During the same period, the prevalence of low -weight children fell from almost 13% to 9.2%.

“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer talking about children with low weight,” said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell, in a press release.

“Ultra processed foods increasingly replace fruits, vegetables and proteins at a time when nutrition plays a fundamental role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health,” he warned.

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While malnutrition remains a significant problem, obesity is now more common in almost everywhere, except in Asia del Sur and sub -Saharan Africa.

The report highlights the critical points of obesity and discovered that the levels have doubled since the 2000s, especially in low and medium income countries, even when they still fight malnutrition. In the small nations of the Pacific Island such as NIUE and the Cook Islands, almost 40% of young people are obese.

Meanwhile, in the richest countries, where ultraprocessed foods represent more than half of adolescents’ calories, high levels of obesity persist. Twenty -seven percent of young people from five to 19 years in Chile live with obesity, while rates in the United States and the United Arab Emirates are 21%.

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In richer nations, such as the US, doctors increasingly support the use of new weight loss drugs in adolescents as a tool to combat the crisis.

“Obesity is not a failure of parents or children. It is the result of toxic food environments,” the author, professor and sponsor of UNICEF Chris Van Tulleken told Reuters.

Obesity leads to a greater risk of developing insulin and high blood pressure, as well as potentially mortal diseases later in life, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer, according to the report.

In addition to ultraprocessed foods, especially those with a high salt, sugar and fat content, experts blame the aggressive marketing of junk food.

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A survey of 64,000 young people made by the agency in 170 countries revealed that 75% had seen ads for sugary drinks, snacks or fast food in the previous week. Even in conflict areas, 68% reported having been exposed to this type of advertising. The sixty -five percent of the respondents in low -income countries were also exposed to them, even at school, in social networks, in sports events and in cartoons.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services of the United States, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., presented this week the report “Make America Healy Again” (MAHA) on child health, which warns that ultra processed foods, sedentary behavior and a large number of environmental and dietary factors feed the ascending obesity and chronic disease in US children.

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He said the Administration will explore the development of the potential guidelines of the industry to limit direct advertising of unhealthy foods to children.

UNICEF urges governments around the world to urgently impose restrictions on junk food marketing and ban unhealthy products in schools.

In Mexico, where childhood and adolescent obesity is common and sugary drinks and ultraprocessed foods represent 40% of children’s daily calories, the government recently prohibited the sale and distribution of foods and ultra -prosecuted articles high in salt, sugar and fat in public schools, UNICEF said.

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The agency warned that without rapid action, the trend threatens to feed an increase in diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems among the next generation.