Every fifth Danish teen is overweight

National Institute of Public Health statistics become even more damning when looking at kids whose parents have little or no education

Christian Wenande

Nov 18, 2020

The National Institute of Public Health has just published a new report on teenage obesity in Denmark … and it’s not good news.

The report (here in Danish) showed that every fifth teenager in Denmark is overweight and, in cases where parents have little or no education, that figure jumps to every third.

“70 percent of young people who are overweight bring it with them into adulthood. If we don’t turn this around, we will see a spike of overweight adults. Once overweight, the kilos are easily added over the years,” Line Laub, a consultant with cancer association Kræftens Bekæmpelse, told TV2 News.

READ ALSO: Disproportionate number of Danish coronavirus patients are overweight

Action plan needed
Currently, 51 percent of Danish adults are overweight – a figure that is expected to increase to around 67 percent over the next 25 years.

Laub said it was important to do something about the disturbing trend as obesity is a serious risk factor in at least 13 forms of cancer.

“Additionally, research indicates that teen obesity increases the risk of getting cancer early on, so it’s super important to do something about this.

Last week, a report showed that only 55 percent of Denmark’s public schools meet the requirement of 45 minutes of daily movement.

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