Obesity now main form of malnutrition afflicting youth: UNICEF

Epidemic being fuelled by availability of ultra-processed foods and assertive marketing.

Obesity has outpaced undernourishment to go the starring signifier of malnutrition worldwide for the archetypal clip among children and teenagers, according to UNICEF.

The United Nations children’s bureau stated successful a study released connected Tuesday that astir 1 successful 10 children aged 5 to 19 is surviving with the chronic disease. The epidemic is being fuelled by casual availability of ultra-processed foods “even successful countries inactive grappling with kid undernutrition” and assertive marketing.

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Today, “when we speech astir malnutrition, we are nary longer conscionable talking astir underweight children”, UNICEF main Catherine Russell said successful a connection accompanying the merchandise of the report: “Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children”.

“Ultra-processed nutrient is progressively replacing fruits, vegetables and macromolecule astatine a clip erstwhile nutrition plays a captious relation successful children’s growth, cognitive improvement and intelligence health.”

For the archetypal time, obesity has surpassed underweight among school-age children and adolescents globally, reveals UNICEF’s latest report.

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— UNICEF (@UNICEF) September 10, 2025

The combat to trim satellite hunger is bearing effect successful immoderate areas, with the prevalence of underweight youths connected a downward trend, falling from 13 percent to 10 percent betwixt 2000 and 2022 among five- to 19-year-olds, according to information collected successful 190 countries.

But implicit the aforesaid period, overweight numbers successful the property scope soared, much than doubling to emergence from 194 to 391 million.

The spike is adjacent much pronounced for obesity, a much superior signifier of being overweight, associated with metabolic disorders specified arsenic diabetes, definite cancers, anxiousness and depression.

In 2022, 8 percent of youths worldwide, oregon 163 million, were obese, compared with 3 percent successful 2000.

Given the chiseled trends, UNICEF believes “a historical turning point” was reached this year, with the planetary prevalence of obesity astatine 9.4 percent for youths surpassing that of underweight, astatine 9.2 percent.

According to the report, 188 cardinal children and adolescents are present obese.

Unethical

UNICEF bluntly described the superior culprit not arsenic mediocre nutrition decisions by families, but unethical concern practices designed to make profits.

Children “are being bombarded by … unhealthy nutrient selling of junk foods”, particularly astatine schoolhouse wherever they are exposed to sugary drinks and salty snacks, Katherine Shats, a UNICEF ineligible adept successful nutrition, told the AFP quality agency.

Such products are often cheaper than caller foods similar fruits, vegetables and proteins, which are being steadily replaced successful families’ diets.

UNICEF stresses the responsibility lies neither with children nor their families, but “a nonaccomplishment of nine to support the environments that children turn up in”.

Historically, levels of overweight person been higher successful much developed nations. They stay high, for example, successful Chile, astatine 27 percent successful the property radical of 5 to 19, and successful the United States astatine 21 percent.

But since 2000, the spread betwixt affluent and mediocre countries has narrowed, with obesity rates soaring successful immoderate Pacific islands wherever imports are replacing accepted products.

For immoderate nations, it is simply a treble curse arsenic they grapple with some undernutrition and increasing obesity.

UNICEF is urging governments to instrumentality binding measures, including advertizing restrictions, taxes connected sugary drinks and unhealthy foods, and policies that promote the accumulation of caller produce.