Child obesity numbers are exploding in poor countries

On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) released some news which they deemed “alarming:” at least 41 million children under the age of five from around the world are obese or overweight, with numbers rising fastest in developing countries.

According to Reuters, in 1990 the number of obese or overweight children hovered somewhere around 31 million. However, that number has since increased. What’s more, WHO says that there are now more overweight and obese children in low- and middle- income countries than there are in high-income countries.

Since 1990, the number of overweight children in developing countries has more than doubles from 7.5 million to 15.5 million. This, according to a WHO Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO), is due to globalization and urbanization.

“Overweight and obesity impact on a child’s quality of life, as they face a wide range of barriers, including physical, psychological and health consequences,” said Sania Nishtar, ECHO co-chair, in a statement.

WHO presented another factor in this growing childhood obesity problem: the marketing of unhealthy food and drinks, particularly in the developing world.

“We know that obesity can impact on educational attainment too 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,” said Nishtar.

According to WHO, almost half of overweight and obese children live in Asia, with another 25 percent living in Africa. It was in Afirca, WHO point out, that the number of overweight children has also almost doubled since 1990, going from 5.4 million to 10.3 million in 2014.

“WHO needs to work with governments to implement a wide range of measures that address the environmental causes of obesity and overweight, and help give children the healthy start to life they deserve,” said Peter Gluckman, ECHO co-chair.