Number of overweight or obese teens soars by 50%

The number of teenagers who are obese or overweight has soared by 50 per cent in England since 2008, researchers have revealed.

- REBECCA WHITTAKER

Healthcare data showed rates increased by more than a fifth between 2008 and 2010 and soared by more than a third from 2021 to 2023.

Ultra-processed foods, such as packaged snacks and fizzy drinks, and sedentary lifestyles driven by excessive screen time, are to blame for the rise, the study authors suggest. Being overweight during childhood can also increase the risk of diabetes and liver disease later in life, they added.

Based at universities and hospitals in Bristol and Liverpool, the researchers used BMI readings of 12- to 17-year-olds in England. They found rates of teenagers who were obese or overweight increased by 22 per cent between 2008 and 2010 and by 33 per cent between 2021 and 2023, revealing a steeper increase following the Covid pandemic.