Too much pizza and pasta: Italian children struggle with obesity

©Gábor Szűts via Unsplash

Italy has a problem. A large proportion of school-age children are now overweight. The authorities want to improve the children’s physical fitness and health once again. Is it time to say goodbye to pizza and pasta?

In Italy, the country that for decades was considered the epitome 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 boy weighing 170 kilograms, and shows just how deeply rooted the problem has become in families, schools, and healthcare institutions.

World Health Organization warns

What once began as an international success story about olive oil, vegetables, and legumes has, according to doctors, shifted to a daily reality of pizza, pasta, potatoes, meat, and bread. The situation is most acute in southern Italy: in parts of Campania, more than 40 percent of eight- and nine-year-olds are overweight. The WHO has previously warned that Italy remains among the European countries with the highest rates of childhood obesity.

Doctors in Naples see the consequences every day. Pediatrician Roberto Berni Canani says he even treats toddlers who already weigh dozens of kilograms, while parents often fail to realize that weight is at the heart of the problem. Even at school, the message is often stuck in old habits: a chubby child is still regularly viewed as healthy in this culture, especially when grandparents and parents show affection through food. The healthcare sector is trying to break that pattern through education, 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 setting up experimental programs with strictly controlled diets for severely obese individuals. In 2025, Italy recognized obesity as a chronic, progressive disease, rather than merely a matter of poor choices.

Too many temptations

Yet the gap between science and practice remains wide. Many young people now know full well what’s healthy, but say that temptation is everywhere: at home, on the street, and even on pizzas smothered in fries, sausage, and fried snacks. The result is a stark contrast: in the birthplace of the Mediterranean diet, that very lifestyle is fading further and further from view.

©Gábor Szűts via Unsplash