Confronting obesity in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic

When it comes to confronting the problem of growing rates of obesity, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) arguably find themselves in the worst of all possible worlds. While rates of obesity for the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania are generally lower than those for larger EU countries such as Germany and the UK, traditional diets high in sugar and fat as well as sedentary lifestyles have helped to create the ideal “obesogenic” environment.

The three chapters in this report look at the policy response to obesity in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic. 

Confronting obesity in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic

Confronting obesity in Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic is an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report, commissioned by Johnson & Johnson, which examines the policy responses to obesity in these three countries. The findings of this report are based on desk research and the insights from seven in-depth interviews with a range of senior obesity experts from the three countries. Our thanks are due to the following for their time and insight (listed alphabetically):

Confronting obesity in the Middle East: Cultural, social and policy challenges

Confronting obesity in Italy

Meanwhile, efforts have been made to classify obesity as a disease in Italy, but the country still lacks an overall, multidisciplinary obesity strategy that integrates comprehensive approaches to both prevention and treatment of the problem. Hence, there remains a lot of room for improvement in policymaking to combat obesity in Italy.

 

Confronting obesity in France

On the one hand, obesity policy in France has largely emphasised preventive care and behaviour-oriented initiatives, but on the other hand, the insurance system’s policy of fully reimbursing bariatric surgery has given France one of the largest uptake rates for such surgery in Europe.

EU governments must ramp up obesity strategies or face fiscal crisis

Only a few governments in Europe have a comprehensive strategy to reduce the obesity burden and the rapidly-rising associated healthcare costs.

Confronting obesity in Europe: Taking action to change the default setting

Confronting obesity in Europe: Taking action to change the default setting

Yet policymakers appear divided over how to confront the continent’s weight issue; some campaigners say policymakers are failing to recognise the scope of the problem.

In this report, we look at the current national and EU-level approaches to obesity policy, identify the weaknesses in current efforts, and discuss how strategies might be adapted to confront the scale of the obesity problem more effectively.

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