British girls have become the fattest in Europe

The 'worrying' prevalence of obesity among British girls is partly due to peer pressure to eat fast food
The 'worrying' prevalence of obesity among British girls is partly due to peer pressure to eat fast food
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British girls are the fattest in Europe, a landmark study has found.

The UK has had one of the fastest rises in obesity among developed nations since 1980 and ranks among the lowest 40 countries in the world, according to the largest and most comprehensive study into global weight problems conducted.

With 29.2 per cent of British girls under the age of 19 obese or overweight, Britain has the 27th-worst record in the world, falling between Dominica and Mexico. Only Iceland and Malta have worse overall rates of obesity in Europe, while Switzerland, France and Italy are among the least overweight countries on most measures.

On present trends, Britain could fall well short of the government’s stated ambition to reverse the rise of obesity in