Obesity figures constant but young girls thinner

Obesity and overweight rates remained constant for the period 2006 to 2015, according to a study released by the French public health agency. But the number of young girls who are underweight increased fivefold in the same period.

In 2015, 49 percent of adults were overweight compared to 49.3 percent in 2006. Among children, 17.6 percent were overweight in 2006, while 3.3 percent were obese. In 2015, overweight figures had decreased slightly to 16.9 percent, while obesity was down to 3.3 percent.

Among children, 13 percent were underweight in 2015, compared to 8 percent in 2006. The results are most striking among girls in the 11 to 14 age group. 19.6 percent of girls in this age group are now underweight, five times higher than the figure ten years ago. However, only 19 percent of 11-year-old girls report engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity for at least 60 minutes per day.

Obesity and overweight levels in France are lower than in the United Kingdom and the United States. According to World Health Organization figures, 51 percent of women were overweight in France in 2014, compared to 58 percent in the UK and 62 percent in the US. Among men, the figure was 67 percent in both the United Kingdom and France. Obesity rates for adult men was 22 percent, compared to 26 percent in the United Kingdom and 34 percent in the United States.

Currently one in three children in Europe aged 11 is overweight or obese. Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980.