About the problem of childhood obesity and the measures taken by the Ministry of Health to deal with it, the Deputy Minister of Health, Irini Agapidaki pthe ERT show “Connections” with Christina Vidou.
“Our country has one of the highest childhood obesity rates in Europe. 37.5% of children are overweight or obese and especially between the ages of two and fourteen, with 5 to 7 year olds being “champions” at 43%. What does this mean; First, it is important to realize that obesity is not an individual choice. It’s not that I don’t pay attention if I eat more, I don’t move and I’m obese” explained Ms. Agapidaki.
“So it’s really important to focus on this: We have to accept all children. It is a right and an obligation, a right for children and an obligation of all of us to accept all children. (…)
Our research shows, and this is why I link this to social inequalities in health, that children grow up in an environment, in conditions that end up leading them to obesity. And so, the Ministry of Health comes to change the conditions in order to deal with the problem of obesity in children.
(…) Parents are helpless. Children do not come into the world with a manual that tells you what to do, what not to do. It is a very difficult story to be a parent, and parents have not had the help they would need from the state to take better care of themselves and their children all these years. So we come to give those tools. I want parents to know that we are together to deal with this issue. Let’s learn to enjoy life in moderation.”
Measures to combat childhood obesity
Afterwards, the Deputy Minister of Health listed the measures taken by the government to deal with childhood obesity.
“Free sessions with nutritionists for children and families. Individually, we will give this possibility to children who have overweight or obesity problems through teleconsultation, so wherever a family is located in the country, they will be able to have sessions with a nutritionist for free.
We started in 60 schools of the country a program on how we learn to eat. (…) Through play and experiential activities, to learn that food can be tasty without being unhealthy. Let’s put celebrity chefs in schools that children often have as role models and are influenced by it.
We have digital tools that we will make available for free to all families. Let me give an example. Few of us know what we should be getting in relation to sodium, salt, our daily sodium intake. So we will have an app that will allow us to know, for example, what nutrients I or my child should have taken today, what he has eaten today, what are the nutritional options, the foods I can cook . (…) The application will be released in the fall. It will be like an online game.
We still give free food to families who have difficulty buying it and that is important. And also free sport opportunities for all children in our country”.
“The National Nutrition Policy Committee has already started and has issued an opinion on what should be in the canteens and not only,” Ms. Agapidaki also informed while emphasizing: “Social inequalities in health are the worst form of social injustice.”
“We also have prevention programs. The programs for the cervix have already started. It starts for the large intestine. Already these days the pharmacists are being trained to start providing the rapid tests and in September we will have the whole program in progress with the colonoscopies and the cardiovascular program from September. We have managed in one year to set up a new pillar of prevention which, I say again, not only gives equal opportunities but produces equal results in health”.
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