Epidemic: 38% EU children overweight by 2010

ALMOST two out of every five children in the EU will be overweight in four years time, creating massive problems for everything from public health care to economies, a new study has found.

A report by the International Journal of Paediatric Obesity says that in the European Union, about 38% of all children will be overweight by 2010 if present trends continue up from 25% in recent surveys.

Nearly half of the children in North and South America will be overweight, up from what recent studies say is about one-third.