More than one-third of European children are now obese or overweight, according to Datamonitor, a global research organization. Authors of the new report, titled “Kids Nutrition: New Perspectives and Opportunities,” attribute the problem to a rise in prosperity and the growing availability of unhealthy foods and beverages. “With prosperity increasing globally, there has been an increased propensity for kids to overindulge, leading to the numbers of overweight children rising alarmingly,” write the authors. Although Europe and the Americas are identified as exhibiting the world’s highest levels of childhood obesity, other regions are also showing significant increases including Asia Pacific, Middle Eastern and African countries. The report focused on the consumption patterns of children ranging from five to 13-years-old in France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, India, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and South Africa. Researchers say a particular concern is children’s high consumption of carbonated beverages and snackable foodstuffs. Bakery goods and cereals, for example, are most popular among children in Europe and the Middle East. Meanwhile, in the UK, about 27 percent of children are now overweight, according to BBC research. In 2007, 17 percent of boys aged two to 15, and 16 percent of girls were classed as obese, an increase from 11 percent and 12 percent in 1995, according to the UK National Health Service. The International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) recommends coordinated action to remedy the rising levels.
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