Skopje, 8 November 2022 (MIA) - A total of 32% of 7-year-old children in North Macedonia are overweight, and 15% are obese, according to the new Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) report, published by WHO/Europe. According to the report, the rise in overweight and obesity is equally distributed among both boys and girls, whereat the prevalence of obesity was 17.5% in boys and 12.2% in girls. Compared to the previous round of report in 2016, there was an increase in overweight and obesity among girls by almost two percent, while it stagnated among boys. “When it comes to nutrition and physical activity, the data from the report shows that 77 percent of 7-year-old children in North Macedonia eat breakfast every day. On the other hand, the report shows that 57 percent of children do not have sport activities or dancing at all, and 38 percent consume soft drinks with added sugar (the second highest level in Europe),” the report shows. Childhood overweight and obesity undermine health across the European Region. These conditions are linked to many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – from cardiovascular diseases to diabetes and cancer. Today, 1 in 3 school-aged children in the Region are living with overweight or obesity, and the rates are increasing in many countries. We need quality data to find better solutions to this problem. In the new COSI Round 5 report, compared to the previous round (2015–2017), there was a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of overweight among both boys and girls in Malta, among boys in San Marino and girls in Italy, and a decrease of obesity levels among boys in San Marino and girls in Malta. Data from 33 countries of the WHO European Region Overall, 29% of children aged 7–9 years in the participating countries were living with overweight – including obesity. Prevalence was higher among boys (31%) than girls (28%). The report also reveals that almost all children (87%) across the Region play outside for at least an hour daily; 43% of children eat fruit every day, and 34% eat vegetables. “The findings show that 1 in 3 children still live with overweight or obesity. We need to accelerate our actions to bring these figures down,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, ad interim Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases, which produced the report. “We urgently need better policies that can help us to reverse current childhood obesity trends – especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that is seen as a dangerous driver of overweight and obesity levels,” added Dr Wickramasinghe. In the new COSI Round 5 report, compared to the previous round (2015–2017), there was a statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of overweight among both boys and girls in Malta, among boys in San Marino and girls in Italy, and a decrease of obesity levels among boys in San Marino and girls in Malta. COSI data has shown a decreasing trend in overweight prevalence in Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain since its first edition in 2007–2008. Despite the decrease, the prevalence of overweight and obesity in these countries – especially in southern Europe – are still among the highest in the Region. WHO/Europe has published a new Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) report, the fifth in a series measuring trends in overweight and obesity among primary school aged children since 2007. The new report’s findings are based on the latest data gathered in 2018–2020 in 33 countries of the WHO European Region. In total, almost 411 000 children aged 6–9 years were measured.