Nearly 500 Million Adolescents Expected Overweight or Obese by 2030, Report Finds

A major international report by the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing warns that adolescent health is at a tipping point, with nearly half a billion teenagers projected to be overweight or obese by 2030—an increase of 143 million since 2015. Mental health among adolescents has significantly declined over the past three decades, a trend worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. While substance use like tobacco and alcohol has decreased globally, new challenges such as increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, ultra-processed foods, and access to e-cigarettes threaten adolescent well-being. The report highlights the profound impact of digital life on youth, calling for a balanced approach to its risks and benefits, including social interaction and education opportunities. Additionally, this generation faces unprecedented environmental threats from climate change, with projections that by 2100, billions of adolescents will live under conditions of global warming that pose catastrophic risks to health. Experts emphasize that progress in adolescent health has lagged behind that of younger children and stress the urgent need for increased funding and action to address these multifaceted challenges.