Obesity in children: what the Greek authorities intend to do

The fight against childhood obesity was the focus of a meeting of the World Health Organization, the European division, which was attended by the political leadership of the Greek Ministry of Health.

Minister of Health Adonis Georgiadis, in particular, emphasized: “OOne of the most serious challenges we face in public health today is childhood obesity. This is a problem that threatens the future health and well-being of the younger generation. We embark on our clear and urgent mission: formulate uniform and reliable measures to curb the growing trend of obesity and overweight, especially among our childreny. Childhood obesity is not just a problem, it is a crisis that requires immediate and decisive action“

According to the minister, Greece, despite the fact that it is the birthplace of the famous Mediterranean dietfaced with anxiety high rates of obesity among young people. “It is shocking to realize that 60% of our adults and one in three children live with overweight and obesity. This is a stark contrast to our healthy eating tradition. I urge you to rethink our approach to nutrition.“, the politician noted.

“Our objectives, he continued, are clear and compelling: to present the current state of obesity in Southern Europe, critically evaluate the implementation of effective interventions and identify priorities for action. By sharing knowledge and best practices, we aim to mobilize immediate and sustainable action against this epidemic. In Greece we have the knowledge, tradition and community spirit to reverse this trend. However, a concerted effort is needed from all sectors of society – government, health professionals, educators and families. We have a responsibility, for the sake of our children, to create an environment that supports good choices and promotes lifelong health.“

Minister of Health Irini Agapidaki: “Together with UNICEF, we have developed a program aimed at preventing and combating childhood obesity. Our goal is not just early detection of childhood obesity, but also prevention of the risk factors that lead to it. Thus, we have developed a program that simultaneously targets primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The main goal of the program is to change the environment that leads to childhood obesity“

Childhood obesity in Greece is a serious public health problem, as relevant indicators show that our country ranks:

• third place among EU member countries (category – children under 5 years of age),
• second (category – children aged 5 to 9 years)
• first place (category – children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 years).

“So the vast majority of the population, whether we're talking about children or adults, are either overweight or obese. For this reason, we have launched a national action against childhood obesity over the next two years,” said Ms Agapidaki.

The program has already begun to be implemented as a pilot in 59 schools across the country. A from the new school year it will be applied everywhere, at the national level. Lessons are held with the aim of teaching schoolchildren the skills of hygiene, nutrition, physical education, food disposal, etc.

As Ms. Agapidaki said, children and their families are given free access to nutritionists, doctors and digital tools (information) that their families can use depending on their developmental level.

“And we're also making it easier for families to connect with each other and create local networks where we can really promote active healthy living skills. At the same time we developed a strategy to increase social awareness “from a young age”, as well as developing skills related to basic health behaviors. We want to teach children that healthy food is tasty food“, summed up the Deputy Minister.

Source link