188 million children and adolescents living with obesity worldwide: WHO

In 2025, about one in 10 school-aged children and adolescents — 188 million — are living with obesity worldwide, surpassing for the first time the number of children who are underweight, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, while releasing early this week a new global guideline on evidence-based policies and interventions to create healthy school food environments. 

Now, for the first time, the WHO is advising countries to adopt a ‘whole school approach’ that ensures food and beverages provided in schools and available throughout the broader school food environments are healthy and nutritious.

“Childhood overweight and obesity are rising globally, while undernutrition remains a persistent challenge. Schools are on the frontline of this double burden of malnutrition. The food children eat at school, and the environments that shape what they eat, can have a profound impact on their learning, and lifelong consequences for their health and well-being,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. 

“Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life, and creating healthier adults,” he added.

Healthy dietary practices begin early in life, and children spend a significant portion of their day in school, making it a critical setting for shaping lifelong dietary habits and reducing inequities in health and nutrition, the WHO said.

“Today, an estimated 466 million children receive school meals globally, yet there remains limited information available about the nutritional quality of the food they are served. In the guideline, WHO recommends that schools improve food provision at schools to promote greater consumption of foods and beverages that support a healthy diet,’’ a release issued by the global health body said.

The WHO noted that there is a need to set standards or rules to increase the availability, purchase and consumption of healthy foods and beverages, while limiting unhealthy foods with strong recommendations against them. It added in a conditional recommendation that children should be encouraged to select, purchase and consume healthier foods and beverages.

“Nudging interventions can include a change to the placement, presentation or price of food options available to children. Policies alone are not enough, and monitoring and enforcement mechanisms are essential to ensure that guidelines are implemented effectively and consistently in schools,’’ the WHO said.