Did You Know? Youth Obesity

The World Health Organization reports that hundreds of millions of children across the globe qualified as overweight or obese in 2022. According to the WHO, in 2022 37 million children under the age of five were overweight, while 390 million children and adolescents between the ages of five and 19 met the criteria for being overweight or obese. The WHO considers a child under five years of age overweight if the youngster is weightfor- height greater than two standard deviations above the organization's Child Growth Standards median. The WHO criteria for being characterized as obese is met when a child is three standard deviations above the median. Children and adolescents between the ages of five and 19 are considered overweight if they are one standard deviation above the median and obese if they are two standard deviations above the median. The threats posed by overweight and obesity in childhood are significant. The WHO notes that being overweight as a child and adolescent is associated with earlier onset of various noncommunicable diseases, including type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the WHO notes the adverse psychological consequences of being overweight or obese in childhood and adolescence, which include a lower quality of life that is compounded by stigma, discrimination and bullying.