UICC says the prevalence of overweight and obesity is rising dramatically among adults and children around the world.
According to the World Health Organization, 1 billion adults are overweight, and at least 300 million of these are clinically obese.
The International Obesity Taskforce estimates that one out of every ten school-age children is overweight. Of these, around 30-45 million children, that is 2-3% of children aged 5-17, are obese.
Being overweight or obese has been shown to increase the risk of cancer among adults.
World Cancer Day 2009 marks the start of a year-long campaign, where UICC will work with parents, teachers and decision-makers around the world to encourage kids to eat a healthy diet, be physically active and maintain a healthy body weight.
