One in three Cypriots ‘is overweight’

One in three Cypriots is overweight, the Cyprus Association of Dietitians and Nutritionists said on Sunday.

Ahead of Monday’s World Obesity Day, the association released a set of statistics which show that 36.1 per cent of Cypriots aged between 20 and 80 years old are overweight.

A total of 27.8 per cent of Cypriots aged between 20 and 80 years old are obese, while 29.6 per cent are considered to be at a normal weight.

Broken down by gender, the statistics show that 2.1 per cent of men and 10.5 per cent of women are underweight, while 22.2 per cent of men and 36.6 per cent of women are considered to be at a normal weight.

Almost half – 46.9 per cent – of men, and 26 per cent of women are overweight, while 28.8 per cent of men and 26.9 per cent of women are obese.

In scientific terms, the association noted, obesity and overweightness are defined as “abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat which threatens health”.

They added that a person body mass index above 25 is considered overweight, while a body mass index above 30 is considered obese.

They pointed out that a national action plan is being delt with to deal with obesity in both adults and children, and that it aims to achieve “interventions aimed at wider changes at an institutional level, at the level of public policy.”

These proposed interventions, they say, “will create a favourable environment which will facilitate the treatment of the problem.”

They described obesity as a “global epidemic”, explaining that it is recognised as a disease by the World Health Organisation and the European Union.

“It is a multifactorial condition, closely related to individual behaviours, family conditions and habits, and social norms,” they added.

They reported that between 1990 and 2022, the global proportion of obese children and teenagers aged between five and 19 years old increased fourfold from two per cent to eight per cent, while the global proportion of obese adults over 18 years old more than doubled from seven per cent to 16 per cent during the same period.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) believes that 60 per cent of the population of the developed world is overweight, while 25 per cent are obese.

They also predict that within the next decade, the proportion of obese people in the developed world will reach 50 per cent, with over half of those expected to be morbidly obese – having a body mass index above 40.

The association said “obesity, both as a disease and a causative factor, significantly impacts the overall burden of disease, as it is associated with a number of other diseases.”

These diseases, they said, include type two diabetes, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, musculoskeletal problems, and even mental health problems such as depression.

They added that obesity “puts a significant burden on the health system as a result of the increased care needs of those suffering from obesity-related diseases.”

The OECD said obesity and its consequences cases around 337,000 excess deaths in Europe per year, while costing €70 billion in reduced economic output.

With this in mind, the association pointed out that obesity-related health complications “can begin early in life”, and that “the longer obesity goes untreated, the greater the potential impact of these negative effects.”

In terms of dealing with the problem, they said there are “multiple evidence-based treatments available” for obesity.

Those include “intensive behavioural therapy, surgery, and pharmacotherapy,” they said, adding that “effective management of obesity requires ongoing lifelong management.”

“Obesity treatment focuses on overall health, not just weight loss,” they added.