The study modeled trends in overweight and obesity among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2021 to forecast prevalence in 2050. While the prevalence of overweight individuals is expected to plateau within 25 years, obesity rates are projected to rise significantly. Without major intervention, obesity is expected to affect 1 in 6 people ages 5 to 14 and 1 in 7 people ages 15 to 24 by midcentury.
By 2050, half of all children and adolescents in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, will be overweight or obese.
The Global Burden of Disease Study Collaborator Network, a group of more than 11,000 researchers from 163 countries and territories, conducted the research. The network also projects that more than 213 million adults and 43 million children and adolescents will have obesity by 2050.
The Lancet published the findings March 3.
