Overweight and obesity in children under 5 years

Definition

Proportion of children under 5 years with BMI-for-age > 2 standard deviations from the median of the WHO growth reference for children.

Relevance

Overweight and obese children are at higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, noncommunicable diseases, disability, and death later in life. Childhood overweight stems from an energy imbalance related to excess caloric intake and inadequate physical activity. Excess weight during adolescence may cause early puberty and longer term health consequences.