The “Health Profile 2023” of the EU for Cyprus records concerning rates of obesity, especially childhood obesity.
“One in seven adult Cypriots (about 15%) was obese in 2019, a rate similar to the EU average. However, during the period 2018-2020, 62% of children aged 6-9 were overweight, and this rate was the highest among EU countries.”
Analyzing the factors leading to excessive weight, the report states: “Poor diet is a determining factor in overweight and obesity. Only about 8% of adult Cypriots reported consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables daily in 2019, a much lower percentage than the EU average (12%).”
Physical activity also significantly contributes to the population’s health.
“In 2019, only about 22% of adults reported meeting the World Health Organization’s recommendation for at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.” This percentage is much lower than the EU average (33%).
“This percentage slightly decreased between 2014 and 2019 for both men and women in Cyprus, while EU averages saw a slight increase.”
Regarding alcohol: “In 2019, the average alcohol consumption in Cyprus was 9.6 liters per adult, which is relatively low compared to other European countries.”
Additionally, only 3.5% of adults reported increased alcohol consumption regularly in 2019, the lowest percentage among all EU countries.
However, the percentage of 15-16-year-olds reporting increased alcohol consumption in the previous month was much higher, corresponding to 37% in 2019, a higher percentage than in many other EU countries.
Regarding most behavioral factors in Cyprus, the report states that these “are more common among individuals with lower educational or income levels.”
In 2019, “almost one in four adults (24%) in the lowest income quintile smoked daily compared to one in five (19%) in the highest income quintile.”
Furthermore, “individuals with lower income (or education) were also less likely to consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day and more likely to be obese, with about one in six adults in the lowest income quintile being obese compared to less than one in seven in the highest income quintile.”
