In World War II, there were serious concerns about whether America's young men were robust enough to carry heavy equipment and fight overseas with their average weight of 144 pounds, but times have changed: As of 2025, children worldwide are more likely to be obese than underweight. 9.4 percent of school-age kids are now living with obesity compared to 9.2 percent who are underweight.
Public health experts now define both obesity and underweight as forms of malnutrition, with three dimensions: not enough food, too much of the wrong food, and hidden hunger from micronutrient deficiencies. A new Unicef report found that 188 million school-aged children and adolescents are obese, which places them at risk of life-threatening disease.
They blamed the rise in childhood obesity is linked to the availability of foods high in calories, added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, which are designed to be cheap, convenient, and irresistible.
The shift towards obesity is also influenced by a decrease in physical activity among children, with more than 80 percent of adolescents failing to get the recommended hour of daily exercise.
“When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Obesity is a growing concern that can impact the health and development of children. Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children’s growth, cognitive development and mental health.”
Structural factors such as pricing, marketing, and food availability are driving the global obesity crisis, with some countries implementing policies like warning labels, soda taxes, and marketing restrictions to address the issue.