The findings, based on data provided by 28 countries, show that Ireland has the highest level (27 percent) of obesity in this age group. Britain is followed by Albania, Georgia and Bulgaria, with Kazahkstan having the lowest obesity rate (1 percent).
According to the report, overweight children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and more likely to develop noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, at a younger age.
The authors of the study urged countries to take early measures to address the problem and warned that nutritional surveillance data is crucial for the development of targeted action and monitoring progress in counteracting obesity.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the problem of childhood obesity is global and is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. In 2013, the number of overweight children under the age of five was estimated to be over 42 million. Close to 31 million of whom were living in developing countries.
