Thai children are becoming more obese as they grow older. The latest survey finds that processed foods, fats, and sodium are the main causes. Among children aged 6-14, 27.4% are overweight or obese, while 62.7% do not get enough physical activity, posing a ticking time bomb for diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Data from the 7th Thai National Health Examination Survey (2024-2025) reflects the multiple health and social risks faced by Thai children, particularly obesity caused by risky behaviors that contribute to long-term non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
On 15 June 2026, the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, announced results from the survey “Health of Thai Children: A Critical Transition Towards NCDs” based on the 7th National Health Examination Survey (2024-2025). The research found that 27.4% of children aged 6-14 are overweight or obese, and 62.7% have insufficient physical activity, signaling an obesity time bomb.
Associate Professor Dr. Waraporn Sathianophakhao, a nutrition expert at Mahidol University's Faculty of Public Health, reported that the survey found Thai children regularly consume processed and ultra-processed foods that increase NCD risk. These include foods high in fat, sodium, starch, and sugar. Nine of the top 20 foods eaten daily or almost daily by children aged 2-14 fall into this category, such as crispy snacks—consumed daily or nearly daily by nearly 40%—followed by sweetened milk, soda, sweet drinks, fried meatballs, fried sausages, drinkable yogurt, ice cream, instant noodles, candy, and chocolate.
Regional differences were also noted. Over half of children in the Northeast eat crispy snacks daily or nearly daily, and one in three children in the Northeast and Central regions drink soda daily or nearly daily. Meanwhile, less than half (44.3%) of children aged 2-14 drink plain milk daily as recommended by the Department of Health, with the South region having the lowest daily milk consumption at only 24.5%. Milk consumption also decreases with age: 57.2% of children aged 2-5 drink milk daily, while only 22.8% of children aged 12-14 do so.
Associate Professor Dr. Roengrudee Pathanavanich from Ramathibodi Hospital's Faculty of Medicine commented on the survey results, noting that childhood obesity encompasses causes, health impacts, policy challenges, and family-level solutions, which include the following details.
1. Health risks and internal body system effects.
Blood fats: Obese children or those with risky behaviors like smoking often have low HDL (good cholesterol) and high LDL and cholesterol (bad fats), a harmful condition for the body.
Acute symptoms and complications: Obesity can cause snoring, sleep apnea, asthma, and importantly, an increased association between obesity and kidney disease in children.
Long-term risk: If untreated, obesity can lead to blood lipid disorders and heart disease in adulthood.
2. Current causes and risk factors.
Sedentary behavior: Children today have a high level of “screen addiction,” leading to reduced physical activity.
Dietary habits: Food consumption has changed markedly from the past, with increased intake of ultra-processed foods high in sugar and fat, including popular drinks like bubble tea.
Gender and age differences: Obesity is more common in boys than girls during childhood, but females have a higher risk of obesity entering adolescence and adulthood due to hormonal factors.
Recent data shows that early working-age men are a group with worryingly increasing obesity rates.
3. Impact on public health systems.
Medical burden: Treating obese children is more difficult, requiring greater resources, equipment, and higher budgets than usual.
Budget issues: The National Health Security Office's current health budget is rising almost uncontrollably due to focus on treatment after illness rather than prevention from childhood. Rising patient numbers could overwhelm medical personnel capacity.
4. Policy recommendations.
Environmental control: Measures should regulate advertising targeting children and restrict access to unhealthy foods in communities, around schools, and inside schools.
Tax measures: Despite existing sugary drink taxes, some producers circumvent the intent by lowering prices or reducing package sizes to keep prices stable. Monitoring compliance with the law's intent is necessary.
International models: Japan’s obesity-related legislation is cited as a possible future approach if the situation does not improve.
5. Family institution solutions.
Attitude adjustment: Families must stop viewing "chubby children as cute" and recognize that excess weight exceeds healthy standards and poses short- and long-term health risks.
Associate Professor Dr. Roengrudee Pathanavanich, head of the survey project, stated that data shows Thai children growing up in increasingly fragile families. Divorce rates among parents have doubled over the past decade (2014-2025), rising from 14% to 25%, with 39% of children primarily raised by grandparents. Children report less closeness to parents and increasingly keep problems to themselves—from 6% to 16%—which may heighten risks of mental health issues and risky behaviors. The survey found that one in five children aged 10-14, about 750,000, are at risk of depression, with approximately 30,000 experiencing severe to very severe levels.
The survey also found that children have easier access to substances like tobacco and alcohol. Most live within walking distance of stores selling cigarettes and alcohol. Children living near such outlets are 1.5 to 1.6 times more likely to smoke and drink. The rise of e-cigarettes in the past five years has increased smoking rates among Thai children: smoking among 10-14-year-olds increased fourfold (from 0.5% to 2%), and among 15-19-year-olds by 1.2 times (from 12.8% to 15.6%), exceeding the national goal of under 8%. Notably, the rate of girls who have tried vaping rose up to 60 times.
Additionally, digital society exposure has led to increased screen time among Thai children, exceeding World Health Organization recommendations at all ages. Children aged 10-14 average 8.3 hours of screen time on holidays and 6.7 hours on weekdays, mostly spent gaming rather than studying—eight times more on games. The survey also found only one in five children aged 10-14 meet the recommended daily 60 minutes of physical activity. Furthermore, easier access to various media has increased children's openness and acceptance of gender diversity, with 8.9% of 10-14-year-olds and 11.4% of 15-19-year-olds identifying as gender-diverse, compared to less than 3% among adults over 40.