In Kyrgyzstan, the risk of childhood obesity is 40%*. By 2030, the number of children aged 5-19 with obesity will reach 180 thousand. 40% of the population of Kyrgyzstan are children under the age of 18 who spend their leisure time watching TV.
They are the most vulnerable part of the population, susceptible to the influence of advertising. Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health problems in the 21st century. According to WHO, over the past 40 years, there has been a tenfold increase in the number of obese children and adolescents – by 2016, the number had grown to 340 million. Over the same period, the number of obese people worldwide has more than tripled – by 2016, 1 billion adults were overweight.
In the WHO European Region (53 countries – the region from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans, which includes the countries of Central Asia), by 2035, a total of 17 million boys and 11 million girls aged 5-19 years will be overweight.
This problem in all age groups will cost the WHO European Region $800 billion annually.
In 2010, WHO Member States approved resolution WHA 63.14, which specified restrictions on the sale of food and soft drinks to children.
A set of WHO recommendations on the marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages for children calls on Member States to prohibit the marketing of foods high in fat, salt, and sugars to children in the media and fill existing gaps in legislation.
Weight gain and obesity developing behind it are directly related to lifestyle – eating habits, nutrition, physical activity. And a sedentary lifestyle during the pandemic has significantly aggravated this global problem.
In Central Asia
In the countries of Central Asia and Europe, there is an epidemic of obesity among adults and children. Almost 60% of the adult population and a third of school-age children in the WHO European region are overweight or obese.
Every third child aged 6-9 in Central Asia is overweight or obese. The smallest number of overweight children was found in Tajikistan (less than 10%), Kyrgyzstan (about 10%) is in second place, Turkmenistan (slightly more than 10%) is in third place, Kazakhstan (less than 20%) is in fourth place.
Few people would disagree with the fact that children consume a large amount of carbonated drinks with a high sugar content.
In Kyrgyzstan
In Kyrgyzstan, the risk of childhood obesity is 40%. And by 2030, the number of children aged 5-19 with obesity will reach 179,668.
In the WHO recommendations on combating obesity, “restrictions on advertising (including digital) of food and beverages with a high content of sugar, salt and fat” are in 3rd place out of 5.
The intensity of food advertising on TV directly affects the development of obesity and cardiovascular diseases in children and adolescents.
WHO conducted a study Monitoring food and Beverage Marketing to Children via Television in the Kyrgyzstan, where TV was monitored for the presence of food leading to obesity in children.
Of the six analyzed channels, one (Balastan) it is considered a channel for children, the other five are for teenagers. The method of recording programs was as follows: each channel was recorded during 2 working days and 2 weekends from 06:00 to 22:00 from March to May 2018. Thus, a total of 24 days of broadcasting were recorded.
2,132 advertisements were analyzed, of which 49.3% were broadcast on weekdays, 50.7% — on weekends. Food advertising was broadcast on the channels “KTRK”, “KTRK Music” and “KTRK Sport”.
The largest number of advertisements for food and beverages was noted on the channels “KTRK Music” (33.2%), “KTRK” (11.8%) and “KTRK Sport” (11.6%). On average, it occupied the fifth position in frequency among all types of advertised products (7.2%).
According to cardiologist Tolebaeva Aichurek, who conducted the study, a high frequency of disorders of fat metabolism among children and adolescents was recorded in the examined group of children and adolescents. Thus, 90 respondents (9% of all) and 24 surveyed (2.4% of all) had excess body weight they were obese. A total of 1001 students of grades 6-11, 11-18 years old in urban and rural schools were interviewed.
Measures to combat obesity must be comprehensive and no country is able to implement all the required policies at the same time. It is important to choose two or three priority areas with a realistic plan for the implementation of the remaining measures.
Main photo: unsplash.com