Dear CHIFA colleagues,
Editorial in the current issue of The Lancet. Citation, extracts and a comment from me below.
CITATION: Childhood obesity: a global health crisis
The Lancet. Volume 406, Issue 10509 p1193 September 20, 2025
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01906-3/fulltext?dgcid=raven_jbs_etoc_email
EXTRACTS
For the first time, the global prevalence of obesity has surpassed that of underweight among children and adolescents (aged 5–19 years). UNICEF's 2025 Nutrition report reveals how unhealthy food environments are contributing to a rapid worldwide surge in childhood overweight and obesity...
The reasons are complex but two stand out. First, the problem lies with the food and beverage industries whose pervasive influence has created harmful food environments...
Second, it has been extremely hard to implement and qualify the success of public health interventions... For example, [a study] in this issue [shows that] interventions that focus solely on family behaviour are insufficient to prevent obesity in the studied age-group...
Globally there is widespread policy inaction and governments are not fulfilling their obligations to address poor food environments.
Childhood obesity is a complex socioecological problem. Progress in the control of childhood obesity will require the empowerment of children and families to claim their rights to healthy food environments and the commitment of various stakeholders (including governments and commercial actors) to protect children's health...
COMMENT (NPW): Aggressive marketing by food manufacturers is largely to blame for the worsening situation, as well as inaction by governments. Unfortunately, food manufacturers are far more savvy and successful in promoting their (ultimately) deadly products, yet the global evidence ecosystem is lagging behind. What proportion of the world's population has a clear understanding of the long-term health consequences of an unhealthy diet and subsequent obesity? I suspect very few. What approaches are effective to build understanding among parents and children? I invite CHIFA members to see Children For Health's poster on Nutrition: https://www.childrenforhealth.org/100messages/nutrition/
Best wishes, Neil
CHIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org