18.6%: that's the prevalence of pediatric obesity in the US, new meta-analysis study reveals. That's almost 1 in 5 kids!

Compared to:
3.9% in France,
7.6% in the UK,
9.3% in Spain.

Our take-home highlights:
- Association between obesity and other conditions: depression and hypertension.

- Much lower prevalence :
✅ in public vs. private schools (not explained)
✅ for children who sleep more at night
✅ for children who eat >3 meals a day.

Pediatric obesity doesn’t just impact childhood,it often sets the stage for long-term health concerns. For example, 38.4 million people in the U.S. are currently living with diabetes, and early weight issues significantly increase that risk. The problem isn’t isolated to the U.S.—in the UK, adolescents consume up to 66% ultra-processed food, showing how global diet patterns are fueling this epidemic.

It would be worth understanding the causalities therein!

The good news: many of the risk factors can be modified 💪

Food for thought... and for action!

🥥Looking for more data-backed insights on nutrition and health trends? Visit the GoCoCo blog for deeper reads.