NUR-SULTAN / EX ASTANA (KazInform) – According to UNICEF Kazakhstan, the number of overweight and obese children in Kazakhstan is increasing,

UNICEF today released a global report entitled The State of the World’s Children 2019: Children, Food and Nutrition. According to this report, overweight and obesity in children is increasing worldwide. In Kazakhstan, the situation is also very worrying. The number of overweight children diagnosed with obesity is increasing. For example, in Kazakhstan, one in five children aged 9 years old is obese.

The highest rates are observed among the urban population and children who have not been breastfed. One in ten children under the age of 5 are overweight or obese. 21% of children under 2 years of age in Kazakhstan do not eat fruits and vegetables.

Less than half of babies under 6 months of age, or 38%, are exclusively breastfed. “The children of 49% of Kazakh families (children aged 6 to 23 months) have a sufficiently diversified diet for healthy growth. Schoolchildren regularly consume sugar-containing soft drinks. Children are aggressively marketing sugar-containing beverages”, added UNICEF’s press service.