WHO warns that obesity is a global health crisis among children
- WHO warns that obesity is a global health crisis among children.
- Healthy and nutritious food needs to be made available backed by regulations.
- Criticises food marketing and policies worldwide.
The World Health Organisation has on Tuesday warned that more children worldwide will be overweight than underweight by 2022 if the current trends continue globally.
This warning was delivered on Tuesday in the publication of a study, undertaken in conjunction with Imperial College London, which measured the weight and height of almost 130 million people above the age of five worldwide.
Lead author of the report, Majid Ezzati, professor at Imperial's School of Public Health, said: "Over the past four decades, obesity rates in children and adolescents have soared globally, and continue to do so in low and middle-income countries."
The report which is the largest ever study of its kind emphasises that overweight and obesity is a global health crisis that is likely to worsen year after year.
"These worrying trends reflect the impact of food marketing and policies across the globe, with healthy nutritious foods too expensive for poor families and communities," Ezzati said.
"We need ways to make healthy, nutritious food more available at home and school, especially in poor families and communities, and regulations and taxes to protect children from unhealthy foods."
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