Junk food leads to more children being obese than underweight for first time

An eight-year-old in the Peruvian capital, Lima, selects a pack of sweets in a supermarket. UPFs are heavily promoted to young people, the report warns. Photograph: Florence Goupil/Unicef

More children around the world are obese than underweight for the first time, according to a UN report that warns ultra-processed junk food is overwhelming childhood diets.

There are 188 million teenagers and school-age children with obesity – one in 10 – Unicef said, affecting health and development and bringing a risk of life-threatening diseases.