Reducing childhood obesity in Poland by effective policies (2017)

Overweight affects about 14% of Polish girls and almost 20% of boys. Childhood obesity is a health concern, as it increases the demand for paediatric treatment. Moreover, the slow but continuous increase in the prevalence in Poland over the past 40 years and the fact that an obese child will most likely become an obese adult indicates that childhood obesity jeopardizes the sustainability of our health system.

Thus, we cannot afford not to act. Obesity is a complex issue, with many social and environmental drivers; therefore, the solutions must be multidimensional, context-specific, pursued through the life-course and sustained. Fortunately, many valuable lessons can be learnt from within and outside Europe about how to approach the epidemic.

The initial aim of this report is to describe the elements of a potential integrated programme for Poland. We consider, however, that it could also be a source of inspiration for other countries that are willing to start or scale-up action against childhood obesity.