One third of Turkish adults overweight: Study

ISTANBUL – Anadolu Agency

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Over 30 percent of all adults in Turkey are considered to be “extremely overweight,” according to a study conducted by the Health Ministry.

Thousands of Turks, like millions worldwide, experience the physical and emotional impact of obesity, according to professor Nazif Bağrıaçık, the president of the Turkish Association for the Study of Obesity.

“It is the third-biggest health problem affecting human society across the world,” Bağrıaçık said.    
    
“Turkey is the 21st country in Europe  in terms of obesity rates and has one of the fastest rising rates of obesity,” he added.

Thirty-five percent of Turkish adults fell into the “overweight” category while 33 percent were “normal” and two percent were “slim,” according to the study.

Bağrıaçık said the prevalence of obesity is 12-15 percent in Turkish children aged 7 to 14, 27-28 percent in adult males, and 32-35 percent in adult females.