Childhood Obesity Is Rising 'Shockingly Fast,' Says Report
- 5 years ago
Childhood Obesity Is Rising
'Shockingly Fast,' Says Report.
The findings come from a
nutrition report conducted by the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The report is the agency's most
extensive in two decades. It found that
one in three children worldwide are
either overweight or undernourished.
40 million children under the
age of five and 340 million
adolescents (ages 5-19) are
classified as overweight.
In adolescents (ages 5-19),
the number of overweight children
increased more than 10% from 2000 to 2018.
It's hard to think of any development indicator where you see such a rapid deterioration, Laurence Chandy, UNICEF's Office of Global Insights and Policy, via NPR News.
The most dramatic increases
of rates of obesity in adolescents
occurred in low and middle-income countries. .
This is likely due to increased
availability of processed foods,
which are inexpensive, high in
sugar but low in essential nutrients.
While dire, the report points
to improvements in fighting
poverty around the world.
Poverty levels have reduced enough that people have agency about what to buy, but then they have to make the right choices under various constraints, including markets which provide a limited choice of food with poor nutritional quality, Laurence Chandy, UNICEF's Office of Global Insights and Policy, via NPR News
'Shockingly Fast,' Says Report.
The findings come from a
nutrition report conducted by the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
The report is the agency's most
extensive in two decades. It found that
one in three children worldwide are
either overweight or undernourished.
40 million children under the
age of five and 340 million
adolescents (ages 5-19) are
classified as overweight.
In adolescents (ages 5-19),
the number of overweight children
increased more than 10% from 2000 to 2018.
It's hard to think of any development indicator where you see such a rapid deterioration, Laurence Chandy, UNICEF's Office of Global Insights and Policy, via NPR News.
The most dramatic increases
of rates of obesity in adolescents
occurred in low and middle-income countries. .
This is likely due to increased
availability of processed foods,
which are inexpensive, high in
sugar but low in essential nutrients.
While dire, the report points
to improvements in fighting
poverty around the world.
Poverty levels have reduced enough that people have agency about what to buy, but then they have to make the right choices under various constraints, including markets which provide a limited choice of food with poor nutritional quality, Laurence Chandy, UNICEF's Office of Global Insights and Policy, via NPR News