Data of the WHO for 2008 shows 1.5 billion people over the age of 20 are overweight. Of these over 200 million men and nearly 300 million women were obese. Experts believe that if the rate of obesity and overweight increases at the same rate as in recent years, it is expected that by 2015 about 2.3 billion of the world population will be overweight and more than 700 million people will be obese.

What is the situation in Bulgaria? Is there a tendency in this country for a rise in the number of overweight and obese people?

According to the National Center for Public Health and Analyses, Bulgaria occupies a middle position on these indicators in comparison with other European countries. However, there is a growth of obese and overweight people over the years. Especially distinct are the numbers with adolescents. More than 18% of Bulgarian children are overweight and 22 percent of these are obese:

“Despite all efforts to reverse this negative trend, it remains a fact”, says Prof. Stefka Petrova - nutritionist and consultant at the National Center for Public Health and Analyses of the Ministry of Healthcare. “People tend to consume foods high in fat and many bakery products, combined with low physical activity. This is a very serious problem for schoolchildren. This is due, on the one hand, to the ineffective implementation of physical education classes, especially in the early school age, when professors who teach this subject are often not specially prepared for it and in many schools there are no teachers who have completed that particular specialty. Often the role of a physical education teacher until the fourth grade is performed by the main class teachers who are entitled to it. Studies show that less than twenty percent of children participate in the required one hour of active physical activity per day. These are the recommendations of the WHO and of Bulgarian health requirements. Very few children meet these requirements in practice.”

According to Prof. Petrova, studies related to the incidence of obesity in childhood and adolescence are important not only because overweight children become obese adults, but also because of the link established through numerous studies between childhood obesity and a number of socially significant diseases in adults such as diabetes and hypertension:

“It is typical for the Bulgarian diet that half of the fats present in Bulgarian cuisine are of animal origin, says Dr. Petrova. In general, Bulgarians have the underlying conviction that when it comes to vegetable oil, then it is useful. Actually too much of any fat, either of plant or animal origin, is extremely harmful. Even the healthiest foods when taken in large quantities, can have harmful effects. Another problem specific to the Bulgarian diet is that we do not get enough fruits and vegetables, especially in winter and spring, when they are too expensive for the majority of the population. Bulgarians generally like to eat fruits and vegetables in the summer and autumn when they are cheaper. Much of the rural population produces its own home-grown fruits and vegetables, and then consumption is significant. Unfortunately, things are not well in the winter and spring when there is an increased risk of overweight. Another problem is the consumption of fatty meats, and especially when they are cheap - a matter of economic opportunities."

According to Prof. Petrova, the efforts of doctors, the family and school must now be directed at restricting the trend of increasing number of overweight people. One reason for this is the low physical activity not only among children but also among a large percentage of Bulgarians: 

“There are very few people who have the vision for a truly active life and physical exercise, she said. The lack of enough free time is a serious factor. Many people have two or even three jobs and stay at work until late at night. This means the opportunity to have some spare time for sports on a daily basis is almost non-existent for many people. Time is never enough. Health awareness is also inadequate, and we need to talk more often about these issues. But the money for prevention and promotion of a healthy lifestyle is not enough. We have developed national dietary recommendations, which include the basic principles of healthy eating, how to maintain a healthy weight, how to increase physical activity. They were developed in 2008-2009, but the fact is that over the last three or four years there have been very few promotion programs on healthy lifestyles and healthy eating habits."

English version: Rossitsa Petcova