A survey of children in seven European countries has found that Greece tops the league for the fattest kids. Researchers on ENERGY-project funded by the European Commission found that 20 per cent of all 10-12 year olds in Greece are obese and a further 30 per cent are overweight, according to results published this week in the scientific journal Plos-One.
The other six countries in the study were Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, Spain and Slovenia. Lowest levels of obesity were in Norway where only four per cent of children were obese and a further 15 per cent overweight.
Research leader Professor Johannes Brug at the VU University Medical Centre of Amsterdam said: “We found children in Greece have the lowest levels of sports activity, children in Hungary and Greece watch the most TV, children in Belgium sleep the most and children in the Netherlands consume the most sugary drinks.”
The team of researchers was drawn from 15 different institutions across Europe and found that girls tend to be slimmer than boys, but that they also tend to participate in sports less than boys, while boys drink more soft drinks and watch more TV. The researchers also found that children of better-educated parents tend to be slimmer, except in Greece or Spain.
Brug said: “The research tells us that children have one thing in common - they are all exposed to multiple causes of obesity which lead them to gain excess weight. Tackling just one cause on its own will not work.”
The next phase of the research is to pilot test new interventions designed to reduce sedentary behaviours in 10-12 year olds.
