Last year, 1.2 million men and 900,000 women in Croatia had problems with excessive body weight. This problem was identified at an early age: 13.6 percent of fifth-grade boys and 10.4 percent of girls were found to be overweight, as were 11.9 percent of secondary school boys and 14.2 percent of girls, while 22.9 percent of male first-year university students and 10.3 percent of female students were obese.
Studies have revealed a rising trend in the incidence of excessive weight gain in Croatia and worldwide, as well as of related diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and muscular and skeletal system diseases, a tendency to depression, and social problems, such as social isolation and exposure to discrimination over obesity.
A public health campaign will be launched in Zagreb's Trg Francuske Republike square on Saturday to raise public awareness of the problem of obesity and how to fight it.