Luciana Prete, director of the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Unit of the Bologna Local Health Authority
Bologna, 4 March 2023 – Forty-one Bolognese out of a hundred have problems, even serious ones, with the weight. Of these, in fact, the 32 percent is in overweight and beyond the 9 percent are obese. These are the data disclosed by the Ausl of Bologna on the occasion of the World obesity day.
Read also Type 1 diabetes, what it is and how to treat it
If you focus on the children we can see how, according to the 2019 Okkio alla Salute survey (latest study available), over 19 percent of 8-9 year olds are overweight, 6 percent are obese and almost 2 percent are in conditions of severe obesity.
Second Luciana Priestdirector of the Food Hygiene and Nutrition Unit of the Bologna Local Health Authority, the cause is “lo lifestyle incorrect: we introduce more food than we should and we move little. And instead, moving is essential to avoid other pathologies, as well as for the top healthcare cost”.
A phenomenon that has grown globally so that theWorld Health Organization he has been sounding the alarm for some years. “Unfortunately there is a large use of processed foods to which the industry adds sugars and fats – continues Prete -. The best thing would be to cook food on your own and simple things, but also learn to read labels well: the longer they are, the more ingredients there are, so if they’re short it’s a good sign. Another piece of advice that can be offered to try to limit the problem in children is to always get them to do it breakfast, never skip it and also try not to make them always stay in front of the TV or with cell phones in hand and do physical activity. Then don’t allow free access to the fridge.”
Read more:
Obesity, “chronic disease of the family”. New guidelines: drugs from 12 years old
To improve it lifestyle and prevent obesity, the local health authority of Bologna organizes dating of preventive nutrition at the Health Homes or online; you can call 366 4342246 or send an email to [email protected]
Calendar of the next courses with places still available: 8 March via web; 5 April San Donato (Chersich); 6 April Casalecchio; May 9 St. John; May 10 via Gramsci.
At the regional level, it is estimated (again according to the 2019 Okkio survey) that in the four-year period 2018-2021 there were around 900 mila
overweight adults and 331 thousand obese. “Obesity represents a major public health problem, with significant consequences also in terms of expenditure on the health service – says the regional councilor for health policies, Raffaele Donini -. Our Region has also been engaged for years on the prevention front from childhood, with good results given that our model of intervention on children has obtained recognition as a good European practice from the WHO”.