Türkiye starts controversial health campaign against obesity!

Türkiye starts controversial health campaign against obesity!

Türkei - Turkey launched a national health campaign on May 10, 2025 in order to counteract the widespread problems of overweight. This initiative bears the title "Get to know your weight, live healthy" and will be held by July 10, 2025. According to Vol.at , citizens in public spaces, such as parking, on bus stops and before football stages and measure. Employees of the Ministry of Health carry out these controls.

people who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 are asked to go to the responsible health department where weight loss programs and consultations are offered. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 30 percent of the Turkish population are obese, which is more than twice as high as the EU average. In comparison, the proportion of obese people in Germany is around 19 percent and 16.5 percent in Austria.

criticism of the campaign

Despite the obvious health necessity, the measure meets the public. Critics express concerns about privacy and possible public exposure in particular. It is also unclear whether participation in the BMI controls is voluntary and what consequences a refusal of this participation could have. The Ministry of Health defends the initiative and emphasizes that preventive action against health risks such as diabetes and high blood pressure is of great importance.

according to Spiegel The campaign is also part of a larger approach to combat overweight in society, which has increased dramatically in recent years. Obesity is a growing problem, especially in industrialized countries, including Turkey, which harbors immense health risks.

global trends and costs

The problem of overweight and obesity not only has individual, but also economic effects. Overweight, costs of over $ 2 trillion are created worldwide, and forecasts show that this number could increase to over $ 4.3 trillion by 2035. A look at the situation in Germany shows that about 2.8 percent of health costs are due to overweight. Around 50 percent of adults in Germany are overweight in the OECD, which underlines the need for such campaigns.