Did you know that almost 400 million children around the world will be living with obesity by 2035? That’s 100% more than in 2020. Childhood obesity can profoundly affect physical, social and emotional wellbeing, academic performance and self-esteem. This often carries through to adolescence and into adulthood.
Young people are never the cause of unhealthy and unsustainable environments, but they are often the most impacted. We need to work alongside young people to create environments that reduce diseases like obesity, reduce pollution in the air, and stabilise our climate.
Young people are being let down by systemic factors – like aggressive food marketing and unequal access to healthcare – that make it difficult to lead healthy lives. It’s time they were involved in developing solutions for a better future.