Despite numerous action plans across the globe and studies highlighting the issue, obesity is on the rise and is considered an epidemic, as it has nearly tripled worldwide since 1975.

Almost 2 bio people globally are overweight or obese. In Europe on average half of the population is overweight or obese while in Greece the rate is above 60%, which is over 6 mio people. Very worryingly child obesity in Greece is the highest in Europe with over 40% of school-age children being obese and overweight resulting in health issues during childhood and later in life as adults.

Obesity is not an easy problem to solve. The causes are multifactorial and therefore the solutions are complex and diverse. Key factors leading to growing obesity rates are notably bad eating habits (high consumption of calorie-dense food like high fat & high sugar) and lack of physical activity. However, there are also a range of social, psychological, genetic and environmental determinants contributing to the manifestation of obesity.

Managing the obesity epidemic is urgent as the implications are severe. Obesity is a high risk factor for chronic disease like diabetes, cardiovascular and cancer. It is predicted that obesity will surpass smoking as the main risk factor for preventable cancer in the years to come. By managing obesity, disease prevalence and mortality rates can be reduced.

Controlling obesity can also lead to cost savings. According to the OECD, 9% of healthcare spend in Greece is due to obesity, while it is forecasted that GDP will decrease by 3% in 2020-2050 as a result of the economic implications of obesity.

Obesity prevention and management need to address the structural drivers of obesity engaging all those that can influence and drive change. Key players in the multistakeholder approach are healthcare professionals, the food & beverage industry, retailers, consumer groups, NGOs, municipalities, policymakers and governmental bodies. Some key nutritional actions are:

On child obesity:

• Education and interventions on healthy eating and physical activity in kindergartens and schools
• Improvement of the nutritional profile of foods by the industry and stopping of ultra processed foods advertising to children and adolescents
• Municipality and primary healthcare programs for early screening and access to nutritional & physical activity counselling for parents

On adult obesity:

• Education and interventions on healthy eating and physical activity in the workplace
• Implementation of tax on high sugar, high salt, high fat ultra processed foods
• Subsidies for consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes
• Mass and social media campaigns on healthy diets
• Procurement of healthy food in all public institutions

References

• WHO European Regional Obesity Report 2022
• “Overweight and obesity among adults”, in Health at a Glance: Europe 2022: State of Health in the EU Cycle, OECD/European Union (2022)
• Η Παχυσαρκία και οι Συνέπειές της. Dianeosis 2022

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