For the first time ever, global childhood obesity has surpassed underweight as the more prevalent form of malnutrition, affecting 1 in 10 or 188 million school-aged children and adolescents, according to a new report by UNICEF. This shift places children at risk of life-threatening diseases, emphasizing that malnutrition is no longer solely about underweight children.

• Obesity rates among children aged 5-19 have risen from 3 percent to 9.4 percent since 2000, while underweight prevalence declined from nearly 13 percent to 9.2 percent globally.
• UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlighted that ultra-processed foods are replacing nutritious options, impacting children's health and development.
• In Kenya, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022 reported 3 percent of children under five are overweight, with Nairobi and other counties leading. The World Obesity Atlas 2022 projects over 1 million Kenyan children aged 5 to 19 will be living with obesity by 2030.
• UNICEF Kenya Country Representative Shaheen Nilofer called for a multisectoral response to regulate the food environment, warning that unhealthy trends could reverse gains toward Sustainable Development Goals.
• The global economic impact of overweight and obesity is expected to exceed US$4 trillion annually by 2035 if no interventions are made.