医学期刊《柳叶刀》（The Lancet）发布的一项研究报告指出，儿童肥胖已成全球问题。全世界有1亿2400万孩童过胖，肥胖问题已经蔓延至200个多个国家。研究结果还显示，肥胖的儿童很可能到了成年阶段依然肥胖，这会使他们面临严重的健康问题。预估从2025年开始，全球对抗因肥胖导致的疾病所要花费的医疗成本将超过9200亿英镑（约8.28万亿人民币）。

In the UK, one in ten children and teenagers is classed as obese. The highest rates can be found in some of the islands of Polynesia, where that proportion rises to nearly one in three. The United States and some Middle Eastern and North African countries are not far behind. There it's a fifth. 

The World Health Organisation is demanding international action to tackle the marketing, pricing and availability of cheap high-calorie food.