By Dr. Esther Makaripe
For many families, a child who looks bigger than average may still be seen as healthy.
Yet health data is showing a more troubling picture: childhood obesity is becoming one of the most serious nutrition-related threats facing children around the world.
What makes the issue more complex is that it is unfolding alongside undernutrition, food insecurity and poor diet quality. In other words, a child may be getting enough food, or even too much of the wrong kind of food, while still missing the nutrients needed for healthy growth.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 390 million children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 were overweight in 2022, including 160 million who were living with obesity.
The same agency estimates that 35 million children under 5 were overweight in 2024. That means childhood obesity is no longer a problem limited to wealthier countries. It is increasingly affecting low- and middle-income countries as well.
In Africa, the trend is worsening as well. WHO data shows that child obesity prevalence in the African region nearly doubled from 2.92% in 2010 to 5.27% in 2022.
Zimbabwe is not outside this global shift.
UNICEF’s landscape analysis on overweight and obesity in Zimbabwe says the country ranks relatively high in the Southern African region for overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19, with a combined prevalence of 14%.
The report also notes very rapid growth in overweight and obesity among both boys and girls in that age group.
That matters because childhood obesity is not simply about appearance. It is a medical condition linked to excess body fat, and it raises the risk of illness both in childhood and later in adult life.
The WHO says overweight and obesity in childhood are associated with earlier onset of noncommunicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
They can also damage children’s psychosocial well-being through stigma, bullying, poor school performance and reduced quality of life.
Children with obesity are also more likely to become adults with obesity.
In Zimbabwe, where the country is already battling several forms of malnutrition, the discussion around children’s nutrition cannot focus only on hunger.
UNICEF says 27% of children under 5 are stunted, while national and regional evidence also points to growing concern around overweight, obesity and diet-related illness.
In its Zimbabwe obesity summary, UNICEF notes that noncommunicable diseases now account for 39% of deaths in the country.
That makes childhood nutrition a double challenge. On one side, some children still do not get enough nutritious food. On the other hand, more children are consuming cheap, energy-dense foods and sugary drinks while living less active lives.
At the centre of the problem is the everyday food environment. Many children now eat more processed snacks, fried foods, sweetened drinks and fast foods than fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and other nutrient-rich meals. These foods can fill the stomach, but they often deliver too much sugar, salt and unhealthy fat and too little nutritional value.
At the same time, physical activity is declining.
WHO recommends that children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity every day, with muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least three times a week.
However, for many children, outdoor play has increasingly been replaced by long hours on phones, televisions and other screens.
This is why childhood obesity should not be framed as an issue of blame.
It is shaped by a mix of factors: diet, inactivity, family routines, school environments, urban lifestyles, advertising, food prices, limited nutrition education and broader social conditions.
WHO describes obesity as a complex disease influenced not only by behaviour, but also by access to healthy diets, market forces and the wider environment.
That broader view is important because many parents and caregivers are trying to do the right thing under difficult conditions. In some households, healthier foods are more expensive or less available than cheap processed options.
In others, busy schedules, unsafe play spaces or limited nutrition information can make healthier routines harder to sustain.
Still, prevention remains possible, and it starts with simple, consistent changes.
A balanced diet is one of the strongest protections.
Children benefit when meals include vegetables, fruits, beans, eggs, lean meat, fish, nuts, whole grains and other nourishing foods, while sugary drinks and highly processed snacks are reduced.
Portion control also matters, especially when children eat frequently but not necessarily well.
Physical activity is equally important. Children do not need expensive gym programmes.
Walking, running, skipping, dancing, football, cycling and active play all count.
What matters is regular movement and less time spent sitting for long periods.
Parents and caregivers also shape habits through example.
Children are more likely to choose water over fizzy drinks, eat home-cooked meals and stay active when those behaviours are normal in the home.
Healthy routines are usually built gradually, not through one dramatic change.
Schools, too, have a major role.
They can support healthier children through nutrition education, safer recreation spaces, physical education and school food policies that make healthy choices easier than unhealthy ones.
The bigger message is that childhood obesity should not be ignored simply because it develops slowly.
By the time the problem is obvious, harmful patterns may already be deeply rooted.
Healthy nutrition in childhood is not a luxury.
It is part of protecting children’s right to health, growth, dignity and a better future.
If the world is serious about raising healthier generations, then the conversation must move beyond feeding children enough.
It must also focus on feeding them well.
