THE

4
OVERWEIGHT | GOAL
By 2025, no increase in
childhood overweight

WHY IT MATTERS RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

Childhood overweight is SUPPORT HEALTHY DIETS

increasing in
all regions WHAT? Develop coherent public
policies to ensure healthy
of the world diets throughout the life-course

Enact policies to enhance

HOW?
food systems to support
healthy dietary practices
Children who are overweight
or obese are at a
DIETARY GUIDELINES
higher
risk WHAT? Authoritative food-based
dietary guidelines to GUID
E

FOOD
of developing serious improve nutrition in
health problems the population

Develop and approve

HOW?
a set of national dietary
guidelines for all age groups
Childhood overweight
and obesity increase
the risk of
SOCIAL NORMS
obesity, WHAT? Improve community understanding and
non-communicable social norms related to appropriate
child growth
diseases, premature death and Develop public and social
HOW?
disability in adulthood marketing campaigns to support
regulation of food marketing

Action to prevent and control

childhood overweight needs to go
hand in hand with other global
nutrition targets of
• stunting • anaemia in women
• wasting • low birth weight
• breastfeeding
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
WHAT? Implement local policies to
promote physical activity
Create an enabling environment
HOW?
that promotes physical activity
from the early stages of life

SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM

Globally

42
In 2011 Between 2000 and 2013, the

more than 2/3

number of overweight children
worldwide increased from
of overweight children under 5

million children
resided in low and middle
income countries
32 million to
younger than 5 years (7%)
are overweight 42 million
To improve maternal, infant
and young child nutrition