The global obesity rate in children and adolescents exceeds that of underweight for the first time.

Obesity has become the most prevalent form of malnutrition among school-aged children and adolescents worldwide this year, surpassing underweight for the first time, according to a UNICEF report released Tuesday.

A total of 188 million children and adolescents (aged 5-19), or one in ten, are currently obese, according to the report, "Feeding the Business: How Food Environments Endanger Childhood Well-being."

"It represents a very important change in the way governments and the international community address malnutrition. Traditionally, we have worked globally on the prevention and treatment of malnutrition, but that has changed," Mauro Brero, senior nutrition advisor at UNICEF, told EFE.

The expert points out that trends are now moving in very different directions: since 2000, the prevalence of underweight among children has fallen from 13% to 9.2%, while obesity has decreased from 3% to 9.4%.

In fact, obesity currently exceeds underweight in every region of the world except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. According to UNICEF, the situation is particularly worrying in regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (39% of children between 10 and 14 years of age are obese), North America (45% also in this age group), the Middle East and North Africa (36%), and Western Europe (28%).

A special mention should be made of countries like Spain, where, despite boasting Mediterranean cuisine and with the most recent data, 31% of school-age children and adolescents are overweight, and 10% are obese.

"It is estimated that between 20 and 30% of the calories children consume there come from ultra-processed foods," warned Brero, who nevertheless praised Spain's efforts to implement, among other initiatives, the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity (2022-2030).

Brero explains that in higher-income countries, this is a critical and entrenched situation. For example, in Western Europe, obesity has increased by only 1.2% in the last two decades, while the largest increase has occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

Meanwhile, in South Asia, the UNICEF senior analyst cites, the obesity rate among children has increased fivefold in that time period. This bloc includes countries such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

The picture isn't exactly rosy in Latin America and the Caribbean either, where UNICEF sees "a significant challenge" in terms of nutrition due to, among other issues, a very high consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages.

"Eighty percent of adolescents regularly consume sugary products. In countries like Mexico and Brazil, children get almost 40% of their calories from ultra-processed foods. Staple foods that used to be whole grain cereals have been replaced by chips and soft drinks," says Brero.

Concern over energy drink consumption UNICEF also expressed concern about the increasing consumption of so-called energy or stimulant drinks—rich in added sugars, caffeine, and taurine—among young people.

The organization believes that the competent authorities should regulate the marketing materials used to advertise these drinks, label them with warnings appropriate to their ingredients, and stop branding them as sports drinks.

"We need to help create a public opinion that perceives these products for what they are: toxic to children and adolescents," the UNICEF advisor concluded.