Greece is now being hailed as a model country in the fight against childhood obesity, following a major initiative implemented by the Ministry of Health in partnership with UNICEF. The program, part of the national recovery plan Greece 2.0 funded by the European Union, has delivered tangible results in changing family attitudes toward diet and exercise.
Deputy Health Minister Irini Agapidaki announced that more than 75% of parents have been reached by the program. Among more than 1,900 overweight or obese children who received personalized nutritional counseling, eight in 10 achieved a normal body mass index. Four in 10 children with clinical conditions such as diabetes or hypertension saw improved health indicators and reduced medication.
The initiative also distributed over 130,000 healthy meals in primary schools, engaged 99,328 adolescents in food education workshops, and involved more than 135,000 children in free sports activities. Parental awareness of WHO recommendations on healthy eating jumped from 29.4% to 43.7%, while awareness of physical activity guidelines rose from 28.4% to 42.5%.
Experts project that if these monitoring structures continue, childhood obesity rates in Greece will decline steadily through 2040.