This number of overweight is expected to continue to grow in the coming years
About 30 percent of primary school-age children in Europe are overweight or obese, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of children who fall into either category is expected to continue to rise in the coming years.
The data were presented by the WHO Regional Office in Zagreb on the occasion of the announcement of a policy for the prevention of childhood obesity.
The WHO referred to the European Obesity Report 2022, which the organization published about a year ago. According to him, more than half of adults in Europe are overweight. Among boys between the ages of seven and nine, 29 per cent were overweight, for girls of the same age the percentage was 27.
People with a body mass index greater than 30 are defined as obese. Those with an index above 25 are defined as overweight.
The body mass index is determined based on height and kilograms.
On Wednesday, a declaration was adopted with recommendations to combat the increasing childhood obesity.
“Our children are growing up in an environment where it is extremely difficult to eat well and be active. This is at the root of the obesity epidemic,” said the Director of the WHO European Bureau, Hans Kluge. Governments and societies must act quickly to reverse the trends, he added. The Zagreb Declaration is an important first step towards combating the problem.
Photo by Andres Ayrton
