Some 124 million boys and girls around the world are obese, putting the children at risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, said a team of researchers in the journal The Lancet. Obesity rates among youths ages 5-19 years are eight times higher today than they were in 1975 and exceed 20 percent in nations including the United States.
“The rising trends in children’s and adolescents’ BMI (body mass index) have plateaued in many high-income countries but have accelerated in parts of Asia, with trends no longer correlated with those of adults,” said the study. The research, led by Majid Ezzati of the Imperial College, London, was among the few to synthesize data from individual nations into a global analysis.
According to researchers, 5.6 percent of girls and 7.8 percent of boys are obese, compared to 0.7 percent of girls and 0.9 percent of boys in 1975. Two generations ago, 11 million boys and girls were obese, one-tenth of the current number.
The skyrocketing child obesity rates “reflect the impact of food marketing and policies across the globe, with healthy nutritious foods too expensive for poor families and communities,” said Ezzati. “The trend predicts a generation of children and adolescents growing up obese and at greater risk of diseases, like diabetes. 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.”
Worldwide, more children and adolescents — 192 million — are moderately or severely underweight than obese. “However, if post-2000 trends continue, child and adolescent obesity is expected to surpass moderate and severe underweight by 2022,” said the researchers. Some 213 million youths are overweight but below the threshold of obesity. “The experiences of east Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean show that the transition from underweight to overweight and obesity can be rapid, and overwhelm the national capacity needed to engender a healthy transition.”
Wealthy and middle-income nations are chary of taxes or regulations to change eating or drinking habits, said the authors. Their point was underlined by a 15-2 vote by the Cook County Board to repeal a soda tax that applied to Chicago and its nearby suburbs, effective Dec. 1. Cook County is the first locality to repeal a soda tax and, with 5.2 million residents, was the largest of the eight U.S. jurisdictions that adopted a tax on sugary beverages, either as a public health measure or to generate money for public services. The American Beverage Association funded the “Can the Tax” campaign in Cook County. The “Can the Tax” group said, “What has happened in Cook County and places like Philadelphia should be a warning sign to any community considering a beverage tax to balance its budget.”
In discussing their findings, the researchers noted a “disconnect” between groups who campaign against obesity and those who focus on hunger. Either condition can create adverse health effects for a lifetime.
Meanwhile, the Pan American Health Organization said the number of people suffering from hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased, to 42.5 million, ending years of declines. “While malnutrition persists in the region … it is now accompanied by overweight and obesity, affecting women more than anyone and also children,” said PAHO director Carissa Etienne.