Obesity Rates Are Rising in Children Despite All the Campaigns
May 20, 2026 · Frisian News
Child obesity rates increased 8 percent across developed nations over the past five years, even as governments spent billions on public health campaigns. Experts now question whether awareness alone can reverse the trend without addressing food prices and urban design.
The World Health Organization released data last month showing that 19 percent of children in OECD countries now carry excess weight, up from 11 percent in 2020. In the Netherlands, the figure stands at 17 percent, double the rate of 1990. Schools run gym programs, health ministries distribute posters about balanced diets, and social media fills with influencers promoting fitness routines. Yet the children grow heavier, not lighter.
Where the campaigns fail is obvious to anyone who walks through a supermarket or a city block. A kilogram of frozen vegetables costs three times more than a kilogram of processed snacks. Urban planning keeps playgrounds small and pushing them to the edges of neighborhoods, while fast food restaurants cluster near schools. The campaigns tell children to eat better and move more. The environment tells them the opposite.
Governments spent an estimated 12 billion euros across Europe on obesity prevention programs between 2020 and 2025. Most of that money went to advertising, school curricula, and mobile apps that count calories. Very little touched the price of food or the design of towns. Studies show that when governments actually subsidize fresh produce or build cycling infrastructure, numbers shift. When they only talk, nothing changes.
The industry that profits from ultra-processed food also profits from obesity campaigns, which is worth noting for anyone watching where the money flows. Companies sell both the junk and the gym memberships and the diet plans meant to fix the damage. Public health becomes a sales channel rather than a genuine effort to change behavior. A child does not become obese because he lacks motivation. He becomes obese because his choices are constrained.
The real test comes now. Governments can spend another 20 billion euros on new campaigns that tell children to be healthier. Or they can tax processed food, cut subsidies to industrial agriculture, and redesign cities so walking and cycling make sense. The first costs little and solves nothing. The second requires power. Watch which one they choose.
Published May 20, 2026 · Frisian News