Skopje, March 5 — Every third adult (28.4%) in Macedonia lives with obesity, according to the Institute of Public Health (IPH).
Compared to 1990, obesity has increased by 13.6% among adults and by 7.4% among children and adolescents, according to the IPH.
"For more than 10 years, the Institute and the Centers for Public Health have been implementing the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), known by the acronym COSI, which is implemented in 45 countries in the European Region. This initiative is the most comprehensive system for monitoring trends in increasing body weight and obesity in children through standardized anthropometric measurements and assessment of the determinants of obesity in the family and school environment," according to the IPH.
At the same time, the data show that 30.5% of children aged 6-9 years live with increased body weight or obesity and that 13.8% of them live with obesity or extreme obesity.
Obesity is, as the IPH says, more common in boys.
"Most children who have increased body weight and obesity live in urban areas. A diet of highly processed and energy-rich foods is a significant factor contributing to the development of increased body weight in children," the IPH adds.
The Institute points out that the socio-economic characteristics of children's families and the availability of food in and around the school environment influence children's eating habits.
They emphasize that the trends of increased body weight and obesity among children in Macedonia are maintained at a stable high level, adding that a comprehensive and multisectoral approach to obesity is needed.