The study, quoted by the Financial Times, used data from 31.5 million children and adolescents worldwide to estimate trends in weight (BMI) between 1975 and 2016. The results are published in the Lancet.
During this period, the number of obese girls between the ages of five and 19 has increased from five million to 50 million, while in the case of boys, the increase was from six million to 74 million.
The highest levels of obesity children in the world are in Polynesia and Micronesia, located in the Pacific Ocean. In Nauru, the frequency of obese girls is the highest, and of boys, in the Cook Islands, with levels over 33%.
Among rich countries, the United States ranks first in childhood obesity, by about 20%. In Western Europe, levels of childhood obesity range from seven to ten percent.
According to the study, another 213 million children are overweight. 40 years ago, 0.8% of children were obese worldwide. Now the level is close to 7%.
“Over the past four decades, obesity rates among children and adolescents have risen sharply globally, and growth continues in low- and middle-income countries. Recently, growth has stabilized in high-income countries, but obesity levels remain unacceptable. “said Majid Ezzati, of Imperial College London, the study’s coordinator.
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