Teen health at ‘tipping point’ as 464 million youth at risk of obesity by 2030, report warns

Teens worldwide are moving away from alcohol and cigarettes, but are facing increasing obesity and mental health issues, a new Lancet report reveals

Almost half a billion teenagers around the world will be overweight or obese by 2030, experts predicted, as they warned that adolescent health was at a “tipping point”.

In a major new review of the health and well-being of adolescents, experts said some main drivers of ill-health among teenagers have switched from cigarettes and alcohol to weight gain and mental health problems.

They warned that mental health among teenagers had seen a “significant decline” over the past three decades, which was exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.

And they projected that 464 million teenagers around the world will be overweight or obese by 2030 – 143 million more than in 2015.

But the Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing pointed out: “In terms of health risks, substance use [specifically tobacco and alcohol] has declined in every region.”

The experts on the commission said action is needed to tackle threats to adolescents’ health and well-being.

They warned that progress in teenage health had “lagged well behind” the improvements that were made in the health and development of young children – with these benefits being at risk of being “undermined” with increased ill-health in teenagers.

Adolescence can no longer be ignored … the time to act is nowLancet report

They added that current funding was “not proportionate with the magnitude of the challenge”.

They wrote: “Adolescence can no longer be ignored … the time to act is now.”

The authors of the report also highlighted how the shift towards a “more digital world” could have a “profound impact on young people’s future health and well-being”.

But they warned against “overly restricting” access, saying there needs to be a balance, highlighting that the online world offers teenagers new opportunities for social interaction, education, employment and health promotion.

Meanwhile, they pointed out that this generation of teenagers is the first to grow up among harsher climate conditions.

“Today’s adolescents are the first cohort of humans who will live their entire life experiencing the growing reverberations of climate change,” they wrote.

Commission cochairwoman Professor Sarah Baird, from George Washington University in the US, said: “The health and well-being of adolescents worldwide is at a tipping point, with mixed progress observed over the past three decades.

“Whilst tobacco and alcohol use has declined and participation in secondary and tertiary education has increased, overweight and obesity have risen by up to eight-fold in some countries in Africa and Asia over the past three decades, and there is a growing burden of poor adolescent mental health globally.

“Additionally, the challenges faced by the world’s adolescents are at risk of being exacerbated by emerging global issues including climate change, world conflicts and a rapid transition to a more digital world.

“Investing in the health and well-being of young people is crucial for safeguarding our collective future.”

The authors of the commission’s report pointed out that “investment in adolescent health will become increasingly important throughout the 21st century”, adding that: “As populations age and fertility rates fall in even the poorest countries, ensuring the health and well-being of adolescents will be crucial to all countries’ health and prosperity.”