More than half of adults of Moldova overweight, one quarter living with obesity

About 63.9 per cent of Moldova’s adults are overweight and 22.7 per cent are living with obesity. In practice, more than half of adults have excess body weight, and approximately one in four is living with obesity.

The data was made public by the National Public Health Agency (ANSP), in the context of World Obesity Day and European Obesity Day, a global event convened by the World Obesity Federation and organized at European level at an initiative of the European Coalition for People living with Obesity (ECPO). This year’s subject, 8 billion Reasons to Act on Obesity, draws attention to the scale of a problem that already affects millions of people.

According to the cited source, national data shows a worrying situation. According to the STEPS (2021) study, 63.9 per cent of adults from Moldova are overweight and 22.7 per cent are living with obesity. Among children, the figures are just as alarming. According to the COSI (2023) study, one in five first-grade pupils (20.7 per cent) is overweight, including 8.8 per cent - with obesity. Among 7-year-old children, the prevalence of overweight is 20.1 per cent and the one is 8.6 per cent.

Specialists reiterate that obesity is a chronic, complex, and relapsing disease, defined as an excessive accumulation of body fat that impairs health. Assessment is carried out by calculating the body mass index (BMI), a standardized method recommended by the International Obesity Task Force.

Physicians point out that obesity is driven by a combination of genetic, biological, psychosocial and behavioral factors. However, lifestyle plays a major role: physical inactivity can increase the risk of obesity by up to 39 per cent in men and 28 per cent in women, while sedentary behavior in adolescence can enhance the risk of obesity in adulthood by almost four times.

Data shows that only 3.5 per cent of children follow the recommendation to eat five portions of fruits and vegetables per day, while 20.4 per cent consume sweet snacks daily. Among adults, 63.4 per cent eat fewer than five portions of fruits and vegetables per day, and 5.3 per cent consume sugar-sweetened beverages daily.

Physicians warn that obesity significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease, arterial hypertension and at least 13 types of cancer. In more cases, it can reduce life expectancy by up to 10 years.

Globally, more than 1.01 billion adults are living with obesity. Specialists emphasize that obesity cannot be “cured,” but can be controlled through long-term interventions: behavioral therapy, personalized nutrition, regular physical activity, medication or metabolic/bariatric surgery.