In 37, there will be 2022 million children under the age of 5 in the world and over 390 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19, a total of 427 million, who are overweight.
Of these 500 thousand are in Southern Europe. In 2023, in Italy 28,8% of boys and girls between 8 and 9 years old were overweight or with obesity: the regions with the highest rate of overweight/obesity are in southern Italy with Campania (43,2%), Molise (37,8%) and Calabria (37,8%) in the top positions, while the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano (15,3%) and Trento (16,5%) and Valle d'Aosta (19,5%) shine.
At European level, Italy is in fourth place for overweight/obesity rates in under-19s, with 36% for girls and 43% for boys. The 'black jersey' goes to Cyprus, ahead of Greece. These data are contained in 'Is the weight right?', the new publication by Unicef, with the contribution of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), launched on the occasion of World Obesity Day on March 4.
“Overweight and obesity – declared Carmela Pace, President of Unicef Italy – represent new and growing threats to the health of boys and girls; malnutrition does not only mean not having enough to eat, but also eating incorrectly or unhealthy.
With the easy accessibility of cheap and unhealthy foods, boys and girls – especially those living in poverty – are not getting the nutritious diet they need for healthy growth.”
Article published on March 3, 2025 - 15pm
This is a serious problem, this overweight among children, and I think that the causes are multiple, from incorrect nutrition to lack of physical activity. A decisive intervention by the institutions is needed to improve the situation.