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WHO: 170M Kids Obese as Rates Quadruple Since 1990
(MENAFN) Childhood and adolescent obesity has quadrupled worldwide since 1990, affecting 170 million young people in 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.
Among people aged 5-19, prevalence climbed from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024, according to the WHO. Some 70 million of those affected were children aged 5-9, while 100 million were adolescents aged 10-19.
The numbers accompany the agency's first guidelines on obesity care for children and adolescents, which call for structured interventions built around diet, physical activity and behavioral change.
The WHO advised against using weight-loss medicines, bariatric surgery or weight-loss devices for children aged 0-9.
For adolescents aged 10-19, approved medicines "may be considered" only if a supervised multimodal lifestyle program has failed to deliver the desired results. Bariatric surgery may be an option under strict conditions for severe obesity.
The agency warned that obesity raises the risk of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease from an early age. It also pointed to the toll on mental health, including stigma, bullying, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, and urged that physical and mental health conditions be treated together.
“The foundation of obesity care for children and adolescents is not medicine or surgery, but access to comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity and sustainable behaviour change,” said Dr. Luz Maria De Regil, the director of the department of nutrition and food Safety at the WHO.
She stressed that the priority must be to ensure that every child and adolescent can access "quality care and supportive environments from an early age, helping them achieve and maintain a healthy weight and laying the foundation for lifelong health and well-being.”
The WHO said obesity care should extend beyond weight loss to overall health, functioning and well-being, with long-term, age-appropriate support tailored to children and their families.
Treatment alone cannot reverse rising obesity rates, the agency cautioned, urging measures that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable.
Among people aged 5-19, prevalence climbed from 2% in 1990 to 8% in 2024, according to the WHO. Some 70 million of those affected were children aged 5-9, while 100 million were adolescents aged 10-19.
The numbers accompany the agency's first guidelines on obesity care for children and adolescents, which call for structured interventions built around diet, physical activity and behavioral change.
The WHO advised against using weight-loss medicines, bariatric surgery or weight-loss devices for children aged 0-9.
For adolescents aged 10-19, approved medicines "may be considered" only if a supervised multimodal lifestyle program has failed to deliver the desired results. Bariatric surgery may be an option under strict conditions for severe obesity.
The agency warned that obesity raises the risk of illnesses such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease from an early age. It also pointed to the toll on mental health, including stigma, bullying, anxiety, depression and low self-esteem, and urged that physical and mental health conditions be treated together.
“The foundation of obesity care for children and adolescents is not medicine or surgery, but access to comprehensive support that enables healthy eating, physical activity and sustainable behaviour change,” said Dr. Luz Maria De Regil, the director of the department of nutrition and food Safety at the WHO.
She stressed that the priority must be to ensure that every child and adolescent can access "quality care and supportive environments from an early age, helping them achieve and maintain a healthy weight and laying the foundation for lifelong health and well-being.”
The WHO said obesity care should extend beyond weight loss to overall health, functioning and well-being, with long-term, age-appropriate support tailored to children and their families.
Treatment alone cannot reverse rising obesity rates, the agency cautioned, urging measures that make healthy diets and physical activity more accessible and affordable.
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