Obesity is undoubtedly the plague of our generation. While one-third of the world is battling with famine, one-third of the world is struggling with obesity. Although the increasing number of obesity patients put the world in great danger, the alarming case is of childhood obesity. Currently, it is estimated that there are more than 150 million obese children around the world and if the necessary precautions are not taken, this number will increase to 250 million by 2030.
Recent research on child obesity in 191 countries conducted by the World Obesity Federation showed that children in developing countries like Africa, Asia and Latin America were particularly at risk as a result of fast changing lifestyles along with the growing popularity and aggressive marketing of junk food. The report also revealed that the Pacific islands like the Cook Islands and Palau ranked high among the countries at most at risk in the coming decade. In addition to a less active lifestyles, island nations were more reliant on food imports, which were often highly processed and heavy on sugar and fat. The report also showed that no country included in the research would meet a target agreed to at a World Health Organization (WHO) summit in 2013, which mandated that levels of childhood obesity should be no higher in 2025 than they were between 2010 and 2012.
According to data from WHO, 32% of Turkish children between the ages of 2 and 18, are on the verge of being obese.
