Our recommended story today takes place in Bogor, a town south of Jakarta, Indonesia. It follows the life of Intan Permatasari, one of millions of children with obesity in Indonesia, and one of tens of millions in low and middle-income countries across Africa, Asia and South America. These countries are facing the “double burden” of a rapid rise in childhood obesity in tandem with stubbornly high rates of undernutrition.
My colleague Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana documented Intan's daily life. We rarely see her look at the camera of the Reuters photographer, a testament to the isolation and anxiety she’s experienced from a very young age, only two of many detriments she’s had to contend with.
Through the pictures, we look together at this story in the context of nutrition, disease, public health policy in developing countries and international health organizations, weight loss drugs and who has access to them. With her mother by her side, Intan wants to be the hero of her own story.
