32 pct of 7-year-olds in Bulgaria are overweight: survey

SOFIA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Nearly one-third of 7-year-old Bulgarian children are overweight, a national survey released on Monday showed, highlighting the need for comprehensive measures to tackle childhood obesity.

The survey, conducted in 2023 as part of the World Health Organization's European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative, found that 32 percent of children in this age group struggle with excess weight. Professor Veselka Duleva, head of the "Food and Nutrition" department at the National Center of Public Health and Analyses, presented the findings during a press conference.

Duleva said the survey highlighted key risk factors for childhood obesity. Half of the children surveyed did not eat fresh fruit and vegetables daily, while an equal proportion consumed sugar-sweetened foods and drinks more than three days a week. One in four ate salty snacks more than three days a week.

The study also found that around 33 percent of children spent more than two hours a day in front of screens, 16 percent slept fewer than nine hours a night, and 25 percent lacked physical activity outside of school, Duleva said.

Parental perceptions about weight appear to exacerbate the problem. The survey revealed that 80 percent of parents with overweight children believed their child was of normal weight, leading to little or no intervention at home.

Iana Ivanova, executive director of the industry association Food Drink Bulgaria, who also spoke at the press conference, stressed that the obesity problem is not due solely to nutrition, calling for increased physical activity and better education about nutrition as many people lack basic knowledge about food components.