How do we stop a huge rise in Aussie kids’ weight?

Zoomed in image of an overweight boy in bright blue tee shirt, so we can’t see his face. He is holding the bulge around his belly, while sitting in an outdoor kids’ playground.

There’s been a huge rise in the proportion of people who are overweight or obese, right around the world, and especially in children.

In 2050, say the forecasts, half of Australian kids and adolescents will be overweight or obese. Life with extra weight isn’t just uncomfortable, it increases the likelihood of living with a disability, and of dying at a young age.

So how did we get here? And most importantly, what can we do to turn this trajectory around?

Dr Jessica Kerr PhD is Research Fellow with the Centre for Adolescent Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.

She’s part of a team studying patterns in excess weight in kids and young people, and joined us on the show.

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Article in The Conversation: Without change, half of Australian kids and adolescents will be overweight or obese by 2050.

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