The article discusses the obesity epidemic impacting over 1 billion people globally, with Turkey emerging as a significant concern, recording a 66.8% prevalence. The World Health Organization warns that by 2030, one in three Turks are projected to be obese. Contributing factors include rising food prices, malnutrition among children, and the consumption of cheap, processed foods. Experts like Hacer Foggo and Bulent Sik emphasize the role of poverty and lack of regulations on food quality, which further exacerbates this public health issue.
"Malnutrition can stunt growth and lead to obesity," she said, pointing to a 2022 study by the Turkish Statistical Institute showing that 62.4% of children in Turkey predominantly eat bread and pasta.
"The increasing consumption of cheap, easily accessible snacks and sugary soft drinks is directly tied to the rise in obesity," he said. As long as the manufacturing of these products is not regulated, he added, most political measures remain merely symbolic.
Health and social experts attribute this trend to insufficient nutrition, social inequality, unhealthy food supplies and a lack of coherent policy strategies.
Hacer Foggo, a Turkish poverty researcher and activist, said the growing number of obese children can be linked to extreme poverty.
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