In Turkey, overweight citizens are weighed on the streets and sent to medical facilities
Ministry of Health of Turkey initiated nationwide campaign against overweight among the population. People with signs of overweight are simply stopped on the streets and weighed. After that, they are sent to medical institutions.
The campaign called “Know your weight, live a healthy life” will last three months. According to Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, 10 million people in 81 provinces of the country are planned to be weighed during this period.
He said that medical workers in public places measure height and weight and calculate body mass index (BMI). Those who are overweight are referred to Healthy Living Centers and Family Medicine Centers, where they receive nutritional counseling and are supervised by nutritionists.
“Our goal is to reach 10 million citizens between May 10 and July 10 of this year. To raise awareness of the dangers of being overweight and to spread the culture of a healthy lifestyle. We will continue to work towards the goal of ‘a society that protects its health before it gets sick’ – both through our educational programs to increase the level of health literacy and through practical activities that encourage a healthy lifestyle.”, the minister noted.
Turkey is currently one of the countries with the fastest growing rates of obesity. Professor Mehmet Đindoruk, who heads the Turkish Gastroenterological Society, estimates the proportion of obese people in the population to be around 30%, and according to the WHO, this figure is 32%. This is almost double the average level in the EU countries, where it is 17%. According to BMI classification, normal weight corresponds to values from 18.5 to 24.9. An indicator of 25 and above indicates overweight, and obesity begins with a mark of 30.
Despite the rising poverty rate, the number of overweight people in Turkey is steadily increasing. Scientists consider the main reasons for this to be a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits. Due to economic difficulties, many citizens can only afford cheap but low-quality fast food. The inflation rate is approaching 40%, and food prices have risen particularly rapidly in recent years.
