Four in 10 children ‘overweight’

WHO research shows Greece has one of worst records in EU, but rates are falling

Four in 10 Greek children are overweight and two in 10 boys are obese, according to the latest findings of the World Health Organization’s European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI).

The findings of COSI, which measures trends in overweightness and obesity among primary school-aged children, relate to the period from 2015 to 2017 and were made public at a conference of the European Association for the Study of Obesity in Vienna last week. According to the research, among Greek children of primary school age, 42 percent of boys and 38 percent of girls are overweight while 20 percent of boys and 14 percent of girls were found to be obese. Greece has one of the worst records in Europe as far as overweight children are concerned, ranking joint second with Italy and Spain where 42 percent of boys are also overweight.

Cyprus is in first place, with 43 percent of primary school-age boys categorized as overweight. As for girls, Greece ranks third together with Italy where 38 percent of girls are overweight, with Cyprus and Spain in first and second place with 43 percent and 41 percent respectively. Greece also ranks third when it comes to obese boys: 20 percent are obese compared to 21 percent in Cyprus and Italy. As for obese girls, Greece ranks joint fourth with Italy, with Cyprus topping the EU chart with 19 percent, followed by Spain and Malta with 17 and 15 percent. Despite high levels of overweightness, however, the WHO notes that rates are dropping in Greece.