Overview

• A Finnish study of three- to four-year-olds found 24 percent of rural children were overweight or obese compared with 16 percent in urban areas
• Researchers link higher screen time in rural settings to stronger indicators of childhood obesity
• Experts warn that scarce local sports clubs and facilities in rural areas limit children’s opportunities for regular exercise, especially for girls
• In Germany, sports club membership remains markedly lower in eastern states than in western ones more than three decades after reunification
• The WHO reports that across 37 European countries a quarter of seven- to nine-year-olds are overweight and 11 percent are obese