World Obesity Day 2026: Doctors urge parents to 'stop giving food as a reward' to children

According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, India ranks second globally for children living with obesity. Doctors tell you how we can curb this rising crisis in children

Obesity is no longer an adult problem. It is affecting children equally, if not more.

The silent killer is slithering into the younger age group faster than ever as the common belief, 'more weight means healthier child' remains rooted deeply in our society.

The World Obesity Federation has warned that while the world was set to miss the 2025 global target to halt the rise in childhood obesity, countries, including India, still remain off track, despite the deadline being pushed to 2030 now.

According to the World Obesity Atlas 2026, released on Wednesday (March 5), 14.921 million children aged 5-9 years and more than 26.402 million children from the age of 10-19 in India were overweight or obese in 2025.

The report also mentions that India ranks second globally for children living with obesity, while China tops the list. It is also estimated that by 2040, over 57 million children will show early signs of cardiovascular disease, while over 43 million will show signs of hypertension.

Experts say that the reason behind these horrifying figures is unhealthy eating habits, lack of food discipline from the parents' end and unhealthy weight gain during pregnancy.

"You will be shocked to know that a child's health is decided in the womb itself. Gestational diabetes is very prevalent in India and it is a risk factor for obesity in children later in life. It's imperative that it must be managed wisely so that childbirth complications and instances of C-section can be reduced," said Dr Shaheen Akhtar, Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Manipal Hospital, Mysore

She insists that proper management of gestational diabetes also prevent the baby from developing diabetes and hypertension later in life.

The Atlas also states that more than one in five (20.7 percent) 5-19 year-olds worldwide are living with obesity and are overweight - an increase from 14.6 per cent in 2010.

World Obesity Federation has predicted that by 2040, a total of 507 million children will be living with obesity or be overweight.

WHO also highlights the importance of breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months and continuing it up to 24 months and above to avoid the risk of childhood obesity.

Credit: Pexels

What causes childhood obesity?

Childhood obesity, according to doctors has several causes. It is a multifactorial condition involving genetic, environmental, behavioral, and endocrine factors.

"First, excess calorie intake, high consumption of calorie-dense foods such as processed snacks, sugary beverages, large portion sizes, frequent snacking. Second, sedentary lifestyle, like increased screen time, reduced outdoor play, physical activity and lack of structured exercise," Dr Amit P Ghawade, Consultant, Pediatrician and Neonatologist, Motherhood Hospital, Kharghar, Mumbai, says.

Third, genetic and familial factors. "Family history of obesity or a polygenic inheritance affecting appetite regulation and metabolism. Fourth is hormonal or endocrine cause, which is less common, such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, growth hormone deficiency, insulin resistance, and early metabolic syndrome," Dr Ghawade adds.

Then there are many other early life factors like maternal obesity or gestational diabetes, formula overfeed, early introduction of high-caloric complementary foods, inadequate sleep, psychosocial factors like emotional eating, stress, anxiety and family eating patterns.

How to prevent childhood obesity

Prevention of childhood obesity, Dr Ghawade emphasize must begin early and involve the family-based lifestyle modification.

"Promote healthy nutrition. It starts with exclusive breastfeeding for first six months. Avoid junk and encourage home-cooked balanced meal with adequate protein, fiber and healthy fats. Age-appropriate portion control is key," he adds and insists that forceful feeding should be avoided at all costs. So should be giving food as reward.

Minimum 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day is a must for children, he says.

Interestingly, sleep deprivation also increases obesity risk. "Preschool children will require 10 to 10 hours of sleep. And school going children require 9 to 11 hours of daily sleep. Adolescents require 8 to 10 hours of daily sleep," Dr Ghawade explains.

Credit: iStock

Bursting myths related to childhood obesity

What makes childhood obesity a leading crisis is the fact that it is surrounded by several myths. From thinking baby fat will automatically disappear to seeing it as just a hormonal problem, the root lies deep in our minds.

Dr Ghawade helps bursts a few myths.

Myth 1: Baby fat will disappear automatically as the child grows.

Fact: The fact is persistent overweight after five to six years of age rarely resolves on its own. Early obesity often tracks into the adolescent and adulthood.

Myth 2: Obesity in children is always due to hormonal problems.

Fact: More than 95 percent of cases are due to excess calorie intake and low physical activity. Endocrine causes such as hypothyroidism, Cushing syndrome, are rare and usually associated with poor height gain.

Myth 3: My child is tall and strong, so extra weight is normal.

Fact: BMI plotted on age-appropriate growth chart is the correct assessment tool. Appearance alone is misleading.

Myth 4: Healthy-looking homemade food cannot cause obesity. Even home-cooked food can lead to obesity.

Fact: If portion sizes are excessive or meals are high in carbohydrate and fats, it will cause obesity, even if the food is homemade.

Myth 5: Skipping meals helps reduce weight.

Fact: Skipping meal often leads to overeating. It later worsens metabolic imbalance.

Credit: Pexels

Myth 6: Physical activity alone can fix obesity.

Fact: The fact is exercise helps, but dietary modification is equally important. Sustainable weight control requires both.

Myth 7: Childhood obesity is only a cosmetic issue.

Fact: It's a medical condition linked to type, type two diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver disease, PCOS and early puberty.

Myth 8: If parents are obese, nothing can be done to prevent obesity in children.

Fact: The fact is genetic increases the risk, but the lifestyle modification significantly reduces the long-term complications. So early counselling, growth monitoring, and family-based intervention prevent long-term endocrine and metabolic consequences.

Creating Awareness in parents about childhood obesity

While there's some awareness about childhood obesity in parents, but Dr Ghawade believes it is often partial or inaccurate.

"First, parents do not recognize overweight as a medical problem. Some even consider excess weight as a sign of good health," he says.

"Awareness usually increases only when school raises the concern, clothes stop fitting, large lab abnormality or common comorbidity like fatty liver, pre-diabetes, hypertension is diagnosed. So there is frequent underestimation of BMI status unless growth charts are shown visually."

While some parents take efforts, but consistency is the challenge. The typical pattern that he sees is initial motivation after diagnosis, short-term dietary restriction, attempt to reduce junk food, and enrolling the child in sports activity.

"However, long-term success depends on whole family lifestyle changes, parental modelling of healthy habits, limiting screen time at home and a structured meal routine. If parents themselves struggle with obesity, implementation becomes harder," he adds.

So what are the common barriers? Cultural belief that the child will grow out of it eventually, academic pressure limiting physical activity, busy working parents relying on processed food, grandparents overfeeding the child and emotional guilt leading to food rewards.

"Change only happens when parents understand the long-term ways, see objective growth chart data, receive structured guidance rather than playing the blame game. Then they are far more likely to take sustained action. Awareness is improving, especially in urban setting. Effort is present but requires continuous counselling, family-based intervention, and regular follow-up to tackle this crisis," he concludes.

(Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of a qualified medical practitioner with any questions about a medical condition).