The Ministry of Health and experts of the World Health Organization (WHO) are carrying out a national study to determine the exact number of obese children in Moldova.

Contacted by IPN, Deputy Minister of Health Svetlana Cotelea said that the number of overweight children has increased over the last few years. Regional specialists and experts of the World Health Organization say it is now the most opportune time for intervening and preventing the spread of obesity among the people. The Ministry of Health, in cooperation with the WHO, will implement two major initiatives. The first refers to the study of obesity among children, while the second includes a study to establish the prevalence of the major risk factors leading to the appearance of such chronic diseases as tabagism and alcoholism.

The obtained information will be used to work out new initiatives in healthcare. The study will also provide comparable data about obesity in the region.