Childhood Overweight on the Rise: Is It Too Late To Turn The Tide in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Author Information

UNICEF, UNICEF

Security Theme

Health

Keywords

Nutrition, childhood overweight

Description

Childhood overweight in Latin America and the Caribbean is a serious public health problem. This condition affects 4.2 million children under the age of 5 and 49 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19. In the last two decades, the figures have increased worryingly in children under 5 years of age, from 6.8 per cent (3.9 million) in 2000 to 8.6 per cent (4.2 million) in 2022; and in children and adolescents between 5 and 19 years of age, from 21.5 per cent (35 million) in 2000 to 30.6 per cent (49 million) in 2016.

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Childhood Overweight on the Rise: Is It Too Late To Turn The Tide in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Childhood overweight in Latin America and the Caribbean is a serious public health problem. This condition affects 4.2 million children under the age of 5 and 49 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19. In the last two decades, the figures have increased worryingly in children under 5 years of age, from 6.8 per cent (3.9 million) in 2000 to 8.6 per cent (4.2 million) in 2022; and in children and adolescents between 5 and 19 years of age, from 21.5 per cent (35 million) in 2000 to 30.6 per cent (49 million) in 2016.