India, Sept. 10 -- For the first time in history, obesity has surpassed those underweight as the most common form of malnutrition among school-age children and adolescents worldwide, UNICEF revealed in a new report on Tuesday.

One in 10 children aged 5 to 19 - 188 million worldwide - are now living with obesity, placing them at heightened risk of chronic diseases such as type-2 diabetes, heart conditions, and certain cancers.

"When we talk about malnutrition, we are no longer just talking about underweight children," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

The report, Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children, draws on data from over 190 countries and highlights a stark shift.

One in five overweight

Since 2...