European nations draw up strategy to fight obesity

doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7578.1088-a

BMJ 2006;333:1088 (25 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7578.1088-a

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European nations draw up strategy to fight obesity

Rory Watson

¹ Brussels

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

European governments have identified obesityas one of today's most serious public health challenges. Theneed to tackle the epidemic has been recognised by the 48 membersof the World Health Organization's European region.

At a WHO ministerial conference in Istanbullast week they all signed a special charter acknowledging thescale of the problem and presenting a strategy to tackle it.

The prevalence of obesity in Europe has tripledin the past two decades. Half of all adults and one in fivechildren in the WHO's European region are overweight. Of thesea third are obese.

Obesity is a major contributor to non-communicablediseases, affects people's quality of life, shortens life expectancy,and accounts for 6% of countries' healthcare costs. It is estimatedthat excess body weight is responsible for more than a milliondeaths a year in the region and that by 2010 one in 10 of its. . . [Full text of this article]

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