Two-thirds of adults in Croatia are overweight, with older men and men with lower educational attainment being the most prone to obesity, the results of a European health survey show.

The survey was conducted on a representative sample of 5,461 respondents in Croatia in 2019, and the results were presented this week by Sanja Music-Milanovic, head of the Health Promotion Service at the Croatian Public Health Institute, to mark the 6th Croatian Obesity Awareness Day.

In 2019, compared with 2015, the number of persons with excessive body weight in Croatia increased by 9%. The most at risk are men of an older age and with lower educational attainment, Music-Milanovic said.

At the moment, 65% of the Croatian adult population are overweight — 63% of men and 59% of women, and Croatia tops the EU ranking for overweight for both genders.

“Over 90% of people get sick and die from five leading non-communicable diseases and their common denominator is obesity. By reducing body weight over the next 30 years, we would prevent the development of half a million chronic non-communicable diseases,” Music-Milanovic said.

In Croatia, about 85% of people with type-2 diabetes and two-thirds of people who suffered a stroke are overweight. If the present trend continues, it will result in a reduction of life expectancy by 3.5 years by 2050.

The survey showed that only 10% of Croatians eat the daily recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables, while there is an excessive intake of sugar through juices, bakery products and sweets.

Only 13% of young people aged 15-17 (25% of boys and 2% of girls) are physically active. In the 18-64 age group 17% of men and 11% of women are active, while in the age group above 64 years the number drops to 4% of men and 2% of women.

“The roots of obesity run very deep and are the result of the circumstances in which people live. We want to change the social environment,” Music-Milanovic said, citing a sedentary lifestyle and availability of fast food.