UNICEF Report on Childhood Obesity

The UNICEF report, titled "Feeding Profit: How Food Environments Are Failing Children", highlights the alarming rise in childhood obesity and overweight worldwide, particularly in children aged 5-19 years. The report stresses that unhealthy food environments are a major driver of this global crisis, contributing to long-term health risks and escalating healthcare costs.

Key Findings of the Child Nutrition Report 2025

1. High Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity

• One in five children (5–19 years) globally are living with overweight.

• Obesity rates are rising faster than overall overweight rates.

• By 2025, global obesity prevalence among 5–19-year-olds will surpass underweight for the first time (9.4% vs. 9.2%).

• Obesity poses greater health risks and is more difficult to reverse, leading to increased pressure on public health systems.

2. Unhealthy Food Environments

• Ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks are increasingly available, leading to poor dietary habits.

• School environments are contributing to the problem, with unhealthy food options being more common than healthy ones.

• UNICEF’s U-Report poll (2023) found that in South Asia, unhealthy food and drinks were more commonly available in schools than fruits and vegetables.

• Lower-income areas face greater exposure to unhealthy foods, making nutritious options harder to access.

3. Weak Legal Protections

• Only 18% of countries have mandatory nutrition standards for school meals.

• Only 19% of countries have imposed taxes on unhealthy foods and sugary beverages.

• Most countries rely on voluntary or fragmented policies, leaving children vulnerable to unhealthy food systems.

Trends in Childhood Nutrition and Obesity in India

Rising Overweight and Obesity

• The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Under-Five children in India rose by 127% from 1.5% (NFHS 3, 2005-06) to 3.4% (NFHS 5, 2019-21).

• Adolescent obesity also increased significantly, with girls seeing a 125% rise and boys a 288% rise in obesity rates.

Future Burden

• By 2030, India could have 27 million children and adolescents (5–19 years) with obesity, accounting for 11% of the global burden of obesity in this age group.

Key Drivers of Obesity Epidemic in India

1. Dietary Shifts:

   • Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and sugary beverages are replacing traditional diets rich in fruits and vegetables.

   • UPF consumption surged from USD 900 million (2006) to USD 37.9 billion (2019), growing annually by over 33%.

2. Marketing Influence:

   • Aggressive marketing, especially through digital ads, targets children and adolescents, increasing exposure to unhealthy food options.

   • The growth of supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores has made unhealthy foods more accessible and heavily promoted.

3. Early Life Factors:

   • Poor maternal nutrition, inadequate breastfeeding, and childhood dietary practices contribute to obesity.

4. Lifestyle Factors:

   • Low physical activity, increased screen time, and high consumption of ultra-processed foods contribute to rising obesity rates.

Health and Economic Implications

• Health Risks: Childhood obesity leads to diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, and certain cancers.

• Economic Costs: In 2019, obesity cost India nearly USD 29 billion (1% of GDP). By 2060, this could rise to 2.5% of GDP without urgent intervention.

• National Burden: Unhealthy diets contribute to 56% of India’s overall disease burden.

Initiatives Taken by India to Tackle Overweight and Obesity

1. Government Programs:

   • Fit India Movement

   • Eat Right India Campaign

   • POSHAN Abhiyaan 2.0

   • Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment)

2. Public Health Campaigns:

   • The Stop Obesity Campaign encourages reducing cooking oil consumption by 10%, emphasizing small but impactful changes in public health.

3. Policy Actions:

   • Placement of sugar and oil boards in schools and offices to guide healthier consumption choices.

   • India is the first lower-middle-income country to adopt the World Health Organization’s best-practice policy limiting trans-fat.

Global Best Practices in Curbing Obesity

• Chile’s Black ‘High in’ Labels:

  • Warning labels such as "high in saturated fats," "high in sugar," and "high in calories" have reduced unhealthy food consumption by 24%.

  • Replacing star ratings with mandatory high-in warnings could provide clearer information on health risks to consumers.

Challenges in Ensuring Childhood Nutrition in India

1. Lack of Clear Definitions:

   • FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has yet to define HFSS (High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt) or UPFs, making it difficult to regulate unhealthy foods.

2. Ineffective Food Labeling:

   • The Indian Nutrition Rating (INR) system misleads consumers by awarding 2–3 stars to foods high in fat, sugar, and salt (HFSS), despite them being unhealthy.

3. Industry Lobbying and Influence:

   • Food industry interests often outweigh public health concerns in policymaking processes, as evidenced by the shift from traffic light labeling to the star system despite evidence of its inadequacy.

4. Weak Regulatory Framework for Advertising:

   • The current regulations for curbing misleading advertising of HFSS foods are largely ineffective.

   • Despite recommendations to restrict advertising of unhealthy foods, no significant regulatory action has been taken.

UNICEF Recommendations for Improving Child Nutrition

1. Protect Breastfeeding & Infant Feeding:

   • Implement the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes to prevent aggressive marketing of unhealthy substitutes.

   • Restrict digital marketing and ban the promotion of unhealthy infant foods.

2. Mandatory Legal Measures:

   • Enforce laws for school food standards, clear labeling, food marketing restrictions, and taxes on unhealthy foods.

3. Improve Access to Nutritious Foods:

   • Redirect subsidies towards healthy foods, promote local production, and fortify staples to make nutritious foods more affordable and accessible.

4. Safeguard Policymaking:

   • Exclude ultra-processed food industry actors from policy processes to ensure that decisions prioritize public health over industry profits.

5. Promote Behavior Change:

   • Launch awareness campaigns to empower families and communities about the harms of ultra-processed diets and promote healthy eating.

6. Strengthen Social Protection:

   • Expand food, cash, and voucher transfers and support programs like affordable childcare and parental benefits to ensure access to healthy diets.

Conclusion

The rapid rise in childhood obesity driven by unhealthy food environments poses significant health and economic risks globally. UNICEF's report stresses the urgency of regulating food marketing, improving food labeling, implementing health taxes, and nutrition education to protect the health of children. Governments, businesses, and communities must work together to ensure that every child has access to a nutritious and balanced diet, and ultimately, a healthier future.