Adolescent obesity has risen by half in 15 years, study reveals

There has been a 50% rise in the proportion of adolescents in England who are overweight or obese over the past 15 years. That is the stark finding of researchers who have warned that the rise means many more adolescents now face increased risks of suffering a range of serious illnesses such as diabetes and liver disease in later life.

- Robin McKie Science Editor

The research will be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity, which is being held in Malaga, Spain, next month and is based on two studies, one led by Dinesh Giri, of the Bristol royal hospital for children and the other by Senthil Senniappan, who is based at Alder Hey children’s hospital, Liverpool.

The studies analysed changes in the numbers of adolescents who were overweight or obese between 2008 and 2023 in England. These revealed that there had been “a substantial rise” of 50% in the proportion of those who were overweight or obese.