Childhood obesity in Greece

Our country has had a negative record in recent years:

41% of children aged 10-12 in Greece are overweight or obese, one of the highest rates in Europe, while 21% of children under 9 are overweight or obese. obese. Boys are more likely to be overweight or obese than girls in the country, and rates of overweight or obese children are also higher in rural than urban areas.

How did we arrive at this statistical result?

According to experts, parents greatly influence their children's diet and weight, depending on their beliefs and perceptions about food. Typically, 88% of parents of overweight children consider their children's weight to be normal, and 20% of parents of healthy-weight children believe their children are underweight and actively encourage them to eat more.

Obesity rates have been rising every year in Europe since the 1980s-1990s. This trend in Greece is likely a result of the shift from the country's traditional Mediterranean diet, which is considered one of the healthiest in the world, to a more Western-style diet that includes more processed products and meat, and less fruit and vegetables. Other factors:

• Children now spend many hours at home without their parents, so the food they eat is often not monitored, nor are there opportunities for parents to pass on education about healthy eating to children. Home-cooked food, due to parents' lack of time, is often missing, and children turn to eating outside.
• The diet in school canteens consists of processed foods, rich in energy and in bad fats.
• Greek schools do not have organized nutritional education plans in their educational program.

The effects of obesity on the child

Children who are overweight tend to be less involved in sports and physical activity and often experience psychological symptoms such as depression and low self-esteem. Also, childhood obesity is a risk factor for chronic problems that may develop in the future.

Maira Stefanakou, Dietitian - Nutritionist