Ban on ads, school exercise next in fight against obesity
Turkey has moved to curb the rising obesity rates in the country, where more schoolchildren fall into a sedentary lifestyle every year. Health Minister Recep Akdağ told Sabah newspaper that they would impose tighter measures against the food contributing to obesity and would ban ads of such foods in children's shows on television. Akdağ also announced mandatory one-hour exercise for schoolchildren every day, expected to be introduced next year.
Obesity rates among children aged up to 5 years old is about 8,5 percent and 8,2 percent for those between the ages of 6 and 18, according to figures dating back to 2010. Overweight individuals aged up to 5 years old make up 26,4 percent of the child population, while the same is 22,5 percent for those between the ages of 6 and 18.
The ministry has recently announced the "second phase" in Turkey's health reforms that have flourished under 13 years of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the minister stated that the new phase would focus on preemptive measures against diseases and medical conditions. The expansion of anti-smoking efforts, the fight against obesity and the promotion of a healthier lifestyle are among the 2017 goals of the government.
The minister said one stage of the anti-obesity fight would be commercials promoting foods known for contributing to the obesity rates among children.
Akdağ said that they plan to introduce special markers on food packaging and impose tighter regulations on the promotion of junk food. Children's shows on TV would be banned from broadcasting commercials of such foods. "Fighting obesity is a global challenge and ads play an important role in spreading obesity. We will not impose an outright ban on foods causing obesity but will categorize them based on their effects on health. Less harmful or harmless ones will be marked with green markers while the more harmful ones will be marked with yellow and red markers. The markers will also be used in commercials for that food item. Foods with red markers will be banned from being advertised during commercial breaks for children's shows. For instance, fruits and vegetables will have green markers while soft drinks and potato fries will have red markers.
The country will also introduce daily half-an-hour, mandatory exercise for schoolchildren in order to promote activity. Surveys show most children avoid daily exercise and spend their time mostly in front of the TV or computers, contributing to the rising obesity levels. "We will introduce a healthy lifestyle starting from nursery schools. Children will be taught about healthy foods and life," Akdağ said. The minister said mandatory exercise is planned to be held before the start of school time.
Among other plans to fight obesity is public service announcements. Akdağ said they even considered producing a TV show to raise awareness on the issue.
The clinics are to be set up in neighborhoods and provide easy access to medical check-ups. These state-run clinics, called "Healthy Life Centers," will employ dieticians and psychiatry experts to help citizens seeking medical advice against obesity and relevant medical conditions.
With child and adolescent obesity rising rapidly, more people in the world are obese than underweight, particularly in developing nations, according to the United Nations. The recent United Nations statistics show that worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In Turkey, the scene is also worrisome. Among the 3 million obesity patients, 1.8 million are composed of children ranging from 0 to 18 years old.
The government has already initiated programs to address the increasing obesity rates. In 2012, the Health Ministry launched health and dietary plans as well as television and newspaper advertisements aimed at fighting obesity. The ministry also distributed pedometers through family doctors, encouraging people to walk regularly and record how far they walk.
Akdağ also spoke about efforts to combat smoking. The next step in anti-smoking efforts that started with a breakthrough indoors smoking ban in 2009, will be a new project to enforce the ban. Akdağ said they cooperated with Green Crescent, a teetotaler society, for a new app that will enable users to report places where the smoking ban is violated. The app will allow users to send the location of the place with one click to inspectors.
Obesity rates among children aged up to 5 years old is about 8,5 percent and 8,2 percent for those between the ages of 6 and 18, according to figures dating back to 2010. Overweight individuals aged up to 5 years old make up 26,4 percent of the child population, while the same is 22,5 percent for those between the ages of 6 and 18.
The ministry has recently announced the "second phase" in Turkey's health reforms that have flourished under 13 years of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government and the minister stated that the new phase would focus on preemptive measures against diseases and medical conditions. The expansion of anti-smoking efforts, the fight against obesity and the promotion of a healthier lifestyle are among the 2017 goals of the government.
The minister said one stage of the anti-obesity fight would be commercials promoting foods known for contributing to the obesity rates among children.
Akdağ said that they plan to introduce special markers on food packaging and impose tighter regulations on the promotion of junk food. Children's shows on TV would be banned from broadcasting commercials of such foods. "Fighting obesity is a global challenge and ads play an important role in spreading obesity. We will not impose an outright ban on foods causing obesity but will categorize them based on their effects on health. Less harmful or harmless ones will be marked with green markers while the more harmful ones will be marked with yellow and red markers. The markers will also be used in commercials for that food item. Foods with red markers will be banned from being advertised during commercial breaks for children's shows. For instance, fruits and vegetables will have green markers while soft drinks and potato fries will have red markers.
The country will also introduce daily half-an-hour, mandatory exercise for schoolchildren in order to promote activity. Surveys show most children avoid daily exercise and spend their time mostly in front of the TV or computers, contributing to the rising obesity levels. "We will introduce a healthy lifestyle starting from nursery schools. Children will be taught about healthy foods and life," Akdağ said. The minister said mandatory exercise is planned to be held before the start of school time.
Among other plans to fight obesity is public service announcements. Akdağ said they even considered producing a TV show to raise awareness on the issue.
The clinics are to be set up in neighborhoods and provide easy access to medical check-ups. These state-run clinics, called "Healthy Life Centers," will employ dieticians and psychiatry experts to help citizens seeking medical advice against obesity and relevant medical conditions.
With child and adolescent obesity rising rapidly, more people in the world are obese than underweight, particularly in developing nations, according to the United Nations. The recent United Nations statistics show that worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In Turkey, the scene is also worrisome. Among the 3 million obesity patients, 1.8 million are composed of children ranging from 0 to 18 years old.
The government has already initiated programs to address the increasing obesity rates. In 2012, the Health Ministry launched health and dietary plans as well as television and newspaper advertisements aimed at fighting obesity. The ministry also distributed pedometers through family doctors, encouraging people to walk regularly and record how far they walk.
Akdağ also spoke about efforts to combat smoking. The next step in anti-smoking efforts that started with a breakthrough indoors smoking ban in 2009, will be a new project to enforce the ban. Akdağ said they cooperated with Green Crescent, a teetotaler society, for a new app that will enable users to report places where the smoking ban is violated. The app will allow users to send the location of the place with one click to inspectors.