Obesity at ‘epidemic proportions’ in Europe, as one in three children now overweight

The UK also ranks fourth of all European countries for having the most overweight and obese adults, a WHO study found

Two teenage children have been taken into foster care in Sussex after their parents failed to get them to lose weight (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One in three children in Europe are now obese or overweight, with the health crisis having been exacerbated by lockdowns brought in to slow the spread of Covid-19, a study has found.

New research from the World Health Organisation (WHO) also revealed that almost 60 per cent of adults are either overweight or obese across the contient.

The European Obesity Report warns that obesity rates have now reached “epidemic proportions” in Europe, causing more than an estimated 1.2 million deaths every year, as well as being leading risk factor for disability.