Obesity diagnoses among Upper Austrian children more than double

Recorded obesity diagnoses among children and teenagers in Upper Austria more than doubled between 2023 and 2025, according to ORF, citing figures from the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK). The number rose from 79 to 163.

The total increased from 112 in 2024 to 163 last year. Across Austria, diagnoses among insured people aged up to 17 rose from 775 in 2023 to 1,415 in 2025, an increase of 83 percent, the ÖGK said.

Outpatient treatment also increased nationwide, from 503 children and teenagers in 2024 to 1,047 in 2025. The most diagnoses were recorded in Styria, followed by Salzburg.

The ÖGK cited a World Health Organization report that found around one in three boys and one in four girls in the third year of school had overweight or obesity. It praised school measures including offering more fruit and vegetables and running health-promoting projects.

The ÖGK recommends that children and teenagers aged six to 18 get at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity each day. Kindergarten-age children should get at least three hours of physical activity daily. Walking, cycling, dancing and playing tag can all count, it said.

ÖGK paediatrician Gabriele Berger said screen time and gaming were part of many young people’s daily lives, but leisure time should also include enough movement, social contact and creative activities. Physical activity can support concentration, confidence and mental health as well as strengthen muscles and bones, she said.