A new report released by the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals alarming disparities in the health of young people across the region, with those from less affluent families disproportionately affected. Dr. Jo Inchley from the University of Glasgow's MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit is the International Coordinator of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey.
The survey monitors the health behaviors and social environments of nearly 280,000 boys and girls aged 11, 13 and 15 years from 44 countries in Europe and Central Asia. The report paints a concerning picture of adolescents' dietary habits , with a particular focus on the decline in healthy eating behaviors and the rise of unhealthy choices. Fewer than 2 in 5 adolescents (38%) eat fruit or vegetables daily, with these figures declining with age (from 45% of 11-year-olds to 33% of 15-year-olds for fruit, and from 40% to 36% for vegetables).
Worryingly, more than half of adolescents report eating neither fruit nor vegetables every day (56% of boys and 51% of girls aged 15). Conversely, the consumption of sweets and sugary drinks remains high, with 1 in 4 adolescents (25%) reporting daily consumption of sweets or chocolate. This rate is higher among girls (28%) than boys (23%) and has seen an increase since 2018, particularly among girls (from 23% to 27% for 11-year-old girls and from 26% to 28% for 15-year-old girls).
While daily soft drink consumption has seen a minor overall decline since.