Child Obesity – a problem in Bulgaria

published on 11/23/09 2:19 PM

As of the beginning of this year youngsters at prep school receive as an addition to their daily menu fruits and yogurt.

Photo: Diana Hristakieva

The Fourth National Week for fighting Obesity was launched in Bulgaria with the active work of the Ministry of Healthcare, the National Center for Public Health Protection, diet experts and medics. The event takes place under the patronage of Foreign Minister Rumyana Jeleva, with the support of prominent Bulgarian sportsmen. This year’s campaign put forth the motto: “The role of school for creating a healthy eating model”. The aim is to improve nutrition habits among youngsters and stimulate a healthy way of life, sports being an imminent part of that kind of lifestyle. The initiative is a continuation of the EC launched campaign in late September - “Eat it, drink it, move it!” for healthy eating and against overweight among EU children. It was then announced that about 22 million European children suffer of overweight and 5 million of them suffer of obesity. EC experts are convinced that this unfavorable tendency should be put an end to. If not, we would be ever more often facing related problems like diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, and early osteoporosis. Data show that in Bulgaria 60% of the population after 18 has overweight and 20% of them suffer of obesity. 20% of children 7-18 have overweight, a quarter of them suffering of obesity. Further more every year the number of children of overweight is growing. Despite the new regulation for healthy eating at school, violations are still frequent. It rules out all pastry of high fat and sugar content usually offered at school snack desks. Dr. Snejana Altankova director of Public Health Department with the healthcare Ministry informs that most frequent violation of the new regulation is the sale at schools of fried nuts, high-level fat pastry and sweets. Only 22% of surveyed schools offer fresh fruits.

“For me this is a problem because when we are at school we want to eat something and we simply have no choice on healthy food, says 15-year old Kremena. Had there been fruits and milk products it would have been much better. Now we get some fast food, pizzas, duner, and pastry. At home I try to eat less greasy and calorie burdened foods. I think at our age we can eat anything because we are still growing, but in order to avoid obesity each student should have an individual nutrition regime depending on his/her lifestyle and sports engagements.”

The problems of overweight among children and unhealthy way of life cannot be solved by reducing harmful foods at school only, is the opinion of Prof. Stefka Petrova, head of the National Center for Public Health Protection.

“54% of children watch TV two or more hours every day. At weekends the figure reaches 85%, Petrova adds. 25% of first graders spend an hour at the computer every day, while 12% - two or more hours. Unhealthy life and incorrect nutrition are the fundament of the alarming tendency for an increased number of children with diabetes and high blood pressure.”

As of the beginning of this year youngsters at prep school receive as an addition to their daily menu fruits and yogurt. This measure is part of the national programme “Foods and feeding”, targeted at creating healthy eating habits among the young.

English version: Iva Letnikova

По публикацията работи: Diana Hristakieva

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Child Obesity – a problem in Bulgaria

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