Minister Of Health To Propose Measures Against Obesity

Following news that Iceland has the highest proportion of overweight and obese residents in the Nordic region, Minister of Health Alma D. Möller plans to submit a parliamentary resolution on measures to combat obesity, RÚV reports. The resolution is expected to be submitted after the New Year.

The minister says it has long been clear that Icelanders are consuming increasing amounts of unhealthy food. This trend needs to be reversed, she notes, but many new challenges lie ahead.

The resolution currently being prepared includes measures for prevention, diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment.

“These are many different actions, including, for example, a national survey on children’s diets, which hasn’t been conducted for a long time. The intention is to start this work next year,” Alma told RÚV, adding that many new challenges are emerging. “I have a group working specifically on analysing these new challenges regarding children’s public health, such as screen use and social media. That plays into obesity, and also the marketing of unhealthy foods — we don’t eat healthily enough. […] And then there’s the use of energy drinks, which leads to children not sleeping enough, and lack of sleep contributes to unhealthy eating habits. So there are many factors involved.”