WHO publishes report on obesity and warns European public authorities. Obesity is no longer the “preserve” of the United States.
Indeed, the results of this survey carried out in 53 countries show that Europeans eat poorly, are too sedentary and are getting fatter. 27% of 13-year-olds and 33% of 11-year-olds are overweight.
Obesity would even become the new weight standard in a majority of the countries of the Old Continent.
“Obesity is gaining ground for two reasons,” explains Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO director for Europe. “Too little physical activity and overconsumption of products rich in sugar, salt and fat. This combination of factors is “fatal”, she recalls, “especially since the phenomenon is no longer surprising. “
“Unfortunately, our perception of what is normal has changed. Being overweight is now seen more as something common, rather than unusual. We must not allow a generation to grow up with the idea that obesity is a new normal, ”she warns.
If obesity in the children eleven years reached the highest levels in Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, the WHO recalls that “the efforts of certain governments, particularly in France and in the Scandinavian countries have succeeded in containing the phenomenon thanks to a series of measures such as the promotion of fruit and vegetables or the taxation of certain foods. “
Playing a sport is not a habit
This report also reveals that Europeans are too sedentary. In 23 countries where the study was carried out, more than 30% of respondents aged 15 and over do not get enough physical exercise. Remember that the WHO recommends practicing at least 60 minutes of activity per day for children aged 5 to 17 and at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week for adults.
In a statement, Joao Breda, one of the obesity specialists at WHO, explains that “ physical activityand healthy food should be taken seriously, everywhere – at school, in hospitals, in town, and at work. The key may come from town planning, as much as from the agrifood sector ”.
“We have to create an environment in which physical exercise is encouraged and healthy food is the first choice, to which social group do we belong,” he concludes.
