Fighting Against Obesity

In 2000, The World Health Organisation characterized obesity as the major health issue in the western countries! This statement of fact is quite obvious when considering these figures: 38% of women, 27% of men and about 5 million children on the teritory of the European Union are considered obese, with for our youth about 400.000 new cases per years.
But the most concerning aspect lies elsewhere. It lies in the variety of pathologies due to overweight: type 2 diabetes, respiratory and heart problems, with a direct impact on our society: 7% of national health budgets are now spent in the fight against obesity. Given this strong increase in expenditure, governments, entrepreneurs and medical authorities start to understand the importance of the problem and the need to take action.
The European Union also decided to react. Today, some sixty initiatives against obesity are funded by European money. Obviously, the European Union can and must do more and should start by integrating nutrition and physical activities into the other EU policies, in particular in those policies enjoying the major financial support from EU: the Common Agricultural Policy, the reform of common organisation of the market in the fruit and vegetable sector, the 7th Research Framework Programme and the Structural Funds.
The first European Parlimentary Symposium on Diet and Health aims at bringing a European added value to the citizens. Therefore, this event focuses on four major concepts: EXERCISING from a very early age, EATING varied and balanced foods, TREATING obesity as a chronic disease and LEGISLATING is necessary. This event's objective is both simple and ambitious: to show that Europe can contribute greatly to the fight against obesity!