Overweight and Obesity in Children in Developing countries
Abstract
The rising worldwide prevalence of obesity is a key public health problem, sparing no age, sex, geographical region or societal groups.1 The prevalence of obesity in children parallels that of adults, and childhood obesity estimates are steadily increasing worldwide. Overweight and obesity in children have attained epidemic proportions globally; an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5 years were reported overweight or obese in 2019.2 Among children and adolescents aged 5-19, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen considerably from a mere 4% in 1975 to over 18% in 2016. The upsurge has occurred similarly among boys and girls. whereas just under 1% of children and adolescents aged 5-19 were obese in 1975, more than 124 million children and adolescents (~7%) were obese in 2016. 2
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References
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