Italian children face an obesity problem

Italy is facing a problem. A large proportion of school-age children are now overweight. Authorities are looking to improve children’s physical fitness and health once again. Is it the end of pizza and pasta?

In Italy, a country long considered the model of Mediterranean cuisine, a generation of children is growing up with serious weight problems. The BBC tells the story of Salvatore, a 17-year-old weighing 170 kilos, and shows just how deeply rooted the problem has become in families, schools, and healthcare facilities.

The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm

What began as an international success story centered on olive oil, vegetables, and legumes has, according to doctors, turned into a daily reality of pizza, pasta, potatoes, meat, and bread. The situation is most serious in southern Italy: in some regions of Campania, more than 40% of children aged eight and nine are overweight. The WHO had already reported that Italy consistently ranks among the European countries with the highest rates of childhood overweight.

In Naples, doctors see the consequences of this every day. Pediatrician Roberto Berni Canani explains to that he even treats toddlers who already weigh several dozen kilograms, while parents often fail to realize that weight is at the heart of the problem. At school, too, old habits often persist: a chubby child is still regularly viewed, from a cultural perspective, as healthy—especially when grandparents and parents show their affection through food.

The healthcare sector is trying to break this cycle through information campaigns, nutrition workshops, and new treatments. In the Campania region, more than 17,000 students are participating in classes on healthy eating, while researchers are also implementing experimental programs with strictly controlled diets for cases of severe overweight. In 2025, Italy recognized obesity as a chronic, progressive disease, rather than simply a matter of poor choices.

Too many temptations

Yet the gap between science and practice remains significant. Many young people now know very well what is healthy, but say that temptations are everywhere: at home, on the street, and even on pizzas topped with fries, sausages, and fried snacks. The result is a striking contrast: in the birthplace of the Mediterranean diet, it is precisely this way of life that is increasingly disappearing.