Body shape

The Health Ministry will embark on endeavors focused on public health over the next five years, primarily targeting obesity and addiction, according to a recently released strategic plan.

The Health Ministry is reportedly preparing a special program for obesity, as citizens and many doctors still do not consider it a disease and do not take targeted measures to deal with it. The program will focus on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment with free follow-up by a nutritionist and other professionals.

Bulgaria is facing a concerning trend as new data reveals that every third child in the country is overweight, with obesity rates soaring among adolescents. According to data from 2022, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 7 to 19 is alarmingly high, with the most cases identified among seventh-grade students. These findings were shared by Deputy Minister of Health Assoc.

Obesity has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the 21st century’s emerging infectious disease

Türkiye is the country with the highest obesity prevalence in Europe, while one out every three adults are obese in the country, an expert has said.

The weight of the average 18-year-old Greek man and woman has increased by 15 and 7 kilos respectively over the last 20 years - 2-4 kg more than their peers in America, and 3-5 kg more than other Europeans - according to a health expert speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

The global threat of obesity also lingers in Greece, where four in 10 adults and almost one in four children and teenagers will be obese by 2035 if preventive measures aren't taken to offset the current trends, according to the World Obesity Atlas for 2023 published on Thursday by the World Obesity Federation. 

Poor diet, lack of sleep and exercise, and very low rates of breastfeeding are seen as the main causes of children being overweight in Greece. 

Experts also note the Greek mentality that associates the expression of love with the offer of large quantities of food, as well as celebrations with the consumption of sweets. 

75% of American youth between the ages of 17 and 24 are unfit for service due to lack of education, obesity and criminal history.

Nearly a third of the Turkish population, or 32.1 percent, comprises obese people, whereas 66.8 percent of the population is either overweight or obese, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released during the 29th European Congress on Obesity in Maastricht, the Netherlands.