Italy faces growing childhood obesity crisis as diets change
Italy is confronting a growing childhood obesity problem as traditional Mediterranean eating habits are increasingly replaced by calorie-heavy and highly processed foods.
The issue is particularly serious in southern Italy. In parts of the Campania region, more than 40% of children aged eight and nine are reported to be overweight. Naples and surrounding communities have become major areas of concern for health professionals.
Doctors say they are seeing increasingly younger patients with severe obesity. At a hospital in Naples, specialists who once mainly treated adults are now treating teenagers with serious weight-related problems.
In severe cases, patients may require bariatric surgery to reduce the size of the stomach. However, doctors say some teenagers are now arriving at weights that make such procedures too risky. Some are first given medical treatment to help control appetite and lose enough weight to undergo surgery safely.
Health experts point to major changes in Italian eating habits as one factor behind the trend. The traditional Mediterranean diet, built around vegetables, legumes, whole grains, olive oil and fish, is becoming less common.
Instead, children are increasingly exposed to processed snacks, sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates and calorie-dense foods. Experts say the problem is not necessarily one particular meal but the cumulative effect of frequent snacking and poor diet quality.
Doctors also say many parents struggle to recognise when their children are overweight. In some communities, a heavier child may traditionally be viewed as healthy or well-fed, making it harder for families to identify a potential health problem early.
Physical activity can also be difficult for some children. Many schools operate in historic buildings that were not designed to provide adequate space for modern sports and exercise.
Authorities are now attempting to address the problem through schools and community programmes. A regional initiative in Campania plans to involve more than 17,000 students across 25 schools in nutrition education and healthy lifestyle programmes, with families also receiving guidance.
Italy has also taken a broader approach to obesity. In 2025, it became the first country to introduce a national law recognising obesity as a chronic, progressive and relapsing disease.
Campania is also being used to test new approaches, including a controlled “fast-mimicking” diet for overweight adolescents. Researchers hope the programme could improve metabolic health, although some paediatric specialists have raised concerns about the limited evidence and possible psychological effects of restrictive diets on young people.
Health experts stress that tackling childhood obesity will require more than simply telling children to eat less or exercise more. Families, schools, healthcare providers and policymakers all have a role in changing the environment around young people.
