Some 41 million children under the age of 5 are overweight or obese, a 33-percent increase worldwide in a generation, says a report to the UN World Health Organization that urges public and private groups to reverse the trend. “The marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages was identified as a major factor in the increase in numbers of children being overweight and obese, particularly in the developing world,” said the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity in a statement. “Many children are growing up today in environments encouraging weight gain and obesity.”
In the first of six recommendations to governments, the commission called for comprehensive programs that promote healthy foods in the diet and discourage consumption of unhealthy foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. “Implement an effective tax on sugar-sweetened beverages,” said the report, and adopt rules “to reduce the exposure of children and adolescents to, and the power of, the marketing of unhealthy foods.”
The second recommendation is “promote physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviors in children and adolescents.” Other recommendations support better prenatal care, weight management services for overweight children, school food programs that bar the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages, and providing guidance on healthy diets, such as limiting consumption of salt, fat and sugar.
Some 6.1 percent of children under age 5 worldwide are overweight or obese, compared to 4.8 percent in 1990, says WHO. The U.S. rate is 10 percent, said Fortune.
Almost half of overweight and obese children live in Asia and one-fourth in Africa. Low- and middle-income countries show the largest increase in the number of overweight and obesity in children. The co-chair of the commission, Dr. Sania Nishtar, said, “We know that obesity can impact on educational attainment … and this, combined with the likelihood that they will remain obese into adulthood, poses major health and economic consequences for them, their families and society as a whole.”