The rate of obese children is increasing in Turkey. Experts agree that the time spent in front of the screen is critical in this increase.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in the body to the extent of impairing health.” Obesity occurs when the body fat measure (body mass index) based on height and weight is 30 or higher.
Research shows that childhood obesity is increasing dramatically. There are 160 million obese children aged 5-19 in the world. Adolescent obesity has quadrupled since 1990.
So what is the situation in Turkey?
The most comprehensive research in this field was conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2016. According to this research, in which primary school children were sampled, 10 percent of the children are obese and 25 percent are overweight.
With the widespread use of technological devices such as smartphones and tablets, the decrease in physical activity in children and the negative change in eating habits are seen as two prominent reasons.
Endocrinology and metabolic diseases specialist Prof. Dr. Dilek Yazıcı says, “It is increasing very quickly. Before, we were seeing the tip of the iceberg, but now the iceberg is starting to fully emerge.”
Prof. serves as the vice president of the Turkish Obesity Research Association. Dr. Yazıcı is of the opinion that obesity, defined as a disease, has a complex structure.
“As a result of the increase in energy intake and decrease in energy expenditure, the body’s balance is disrupted. With the release of the iPhone in 2010, the frequency of obesity began to increase directly. Because children sit motionless with these devices in their hands all day long.”
Those who work on childhood obesity underline that the fact that unhealthy foods are very cheap and easily accessible is an important problem.
In addition, encouraging packaged foods with low nutritional value, fast food that can be consumed quickly, and sugary and carbonated drinks deepens the problem.
On the other hand, parents may tend to see the weight problem as temporary with defenses such as “He will lose it when he grows up”, “He will lose weight”, “He is just a child, he will burn it”.
Research says just the opposite. Those who were overweight or obese as children are likely to carry this problem into adulthood.
Prof. Dr. Yazıcı emphasizes that unhealthy eating habits acquired in childhood can continue throughout life.
In addition, diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure that occur due to excess weight in childhood can continue in adulthood.
Children live in a fattening environment
Obesity has been considered a public health problem both in the world and in Turkey in recent years. This is because the disease is spreading.
Public health expert Prof. Dr. According to Sibel Sakarya, children live in a fattening environment and this causes obesity to increase.
“It is very difficult for a child to escape obesity in the world we live in. Think about factors such as mobile phone use, computer games, some strategies used by people called influencers, and advertising of unhealthy foods through methods such as product placement. Due to excessive urbanization, the areas where children can play are also limited. “It is very difficult not to get fat while living in a fattening world and environment. Even when shopping in markets, children fall into the traps set by this industry. Even the height of the shelves where harmful foods are placed is adjusted so that children can easily see them.”
‘Poor children are more affected by obesity’
Obesity does not affect all children in the same way. Stating that poor children are more affected by obesity, Prof. Dr. “This is a problem that develops and deepens inequalities,” Sakarya says and continues:
“We have an issue called food insecurity. Poor people who do not have constant access to healthy food want to benefit from it as much as possible whenever they can access it. Because they wonder, ‘Can I find it again?’ He’s worried.”
In Turkey, where food inflation remains high, eating healthy has become a budget issue.
Türkiye is the country where food prices increased the most among 38 OECD countries.
According to the figures announced by TÜRK-İŞ in November 2024, the hunger limit of a family of four increased to 20 thousand 562 TL. This figure corresponds to almost the entire minimum wage announced for 2025.
Prof. Dr. Sakarya emphasizes that poverty directly affects food choice.
“Due to the high prices of healthy foods, poor people buy foods rich in carbohydrates and sugar, but poor in minerals and vitamins, which can fill their stomachs at a cheaper price. In other words, there is an increasingly stronger relationship between poverty and obesity.”
Stating that regular nutrition prevents the development of obesity, Prof. Dr. Sakarya says that children who skip meals and especially go to school without breakfast may be prone to obesity.
According to the 2022 results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), one in five students in Turkey skips meals at least once a week. 1.9 percent of students report skipping meals “every day” or “almost every day.”
It is stated that providing a free healthy meal and clean water in schools is one of the most critical measures that the public authority can take.
What precautions are being taken in Turkey?
The Ministry of Health’s 2024-2028 action plan aims to gradually reduce obesity in 5 years.
In this regard, new regulations are expected to be made to make food labels more understandable by consumers.
Prof.Dr. Yazıcı is of the opinion that food labels in Turkey are not understandable and difficult to read. Yazıcı states that accurate and detailed information should be provided in order to increase health literacy.
“In Europe, red, yellow and green indicators, like traffic lights, are placed on the labels of these foods. For example, this method can be applied here as well.”
On the other hand, with the circular issued by the Ministry of National Education in 2016, it was prohibited to sell products such as fries, chips, chocolate, wafers, candy, cakes and sweetened drinks in schools.
Experts state that this regulation has many positive effects. However, this regulation, which is limited to primary and secondary school levels, is not implemented at the high school level.
Source: www.cumhuriyet.com.tr
