According to UNICEF, obesity is rising among children from a very early age. As per new global assessment on child malnutrition, agency’s comprehensive two decades nutrition report, the high rate of obesity among children is rapidly rising in low- and middle- economy nations.
The report shows the intricate, dire image of children’s health in the nations. It has found that 200 million children below the age of 5 are undernourished or overweight. In countries like Africa and South Asia, coping up with micronutrient deficiency is remain a persistent challenge, and many actions are also taken by the nation to fight with.
Meanwhile, it is also found that near around 340 million pubescents are world widely classified as overweight, according to the report. From 2000 to 2018, the surprising rate of obesity growth has been observed among the age group of 5-19.
Lead Author of the Report and Director at UNICEF Office of Global Insights and Policy, Laurence Chandy, get surprised while preparing the report and have significant concerns for taking active movements towards handling the situation. Laurence says, “It’s a shockingly fast increase. It’s hard to think of any development indicator where you see such rapid deterioration.”
North America, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Pacific Islands high- and middle-income nations are major countries where most of the suffering children belong. The U.S. has a high rate of overweight adolescent growth which is around 42%.
One of the most significant reasons behind obesity is the easy availability of processed and junk food at lower prices. As fast and processed food becomes more widely at children’s fingertips, the level of obesity rate is continuously increasing.
