Italy sees rise in childhood obesity as eating habits change

The traditional Mediterranean diet has largely disappeared in Italy, according to a BBC report that highlights a steady rise in the number of overweight children and adolescents across the country.

The report contrasts Italy's situation with that of the United Kingdom, where childhood obesity remains a major public health challenge. Researchers from the University of Oxford and University College London estimate that around 22 percent of children are overweight or obese at the start of primary school, rising to more than 35 percent by the end of primary education, CE Report quotes ANSA.

Based on interviews with experts and families, the BBC report examines the factors contributing to childhood obesity in Italy.

According to Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, the traditional Mediterranean diet has largely disappeared, with only 10 percent of Italians still following it closely.

Longo summarized the modern Italian diet as the "five Ps" — pizza, pasta, potatoes, protein, and bread.

The problem is particularly severe in southern Italy, the report said. In some areas of the Campania region, more than 40 percent of children aged 8 and 9 are overweight.

The Naples suburb of Ponticelli has gained an unfortunate reputation as one of the world's hotspots for childhood obesity, according to the report.

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