Obesity in Italy has been increasingly cited as a major health issue in recent years.
Overall, the Italians, along with the French and the Swiss, are considered among the slimmest people in Europe on average.[1] In 2011, Italy was the only country in Europe where the average weight dropped.[1]
Causes
Causes are the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle choices such as exercise and getting enough sleep.[2] However, obesity rates in Italian two-year-olds are the highest in Europe with a rate of 42%.[2]
Effects
Several studies have shown that obese men tend to have a lower sperm count, fewer rapidly mobile sperm and fewer progressively motile sperm compared to normal-weight men.[3]
Programs
Scientists from the University of Verona designed a new type of park to help deal with obesity in Italian children, in which an adult trainer is in charge and the children follow a series of organised exercises.[4] All children are under six years old, and the cost of the playground was $250,000.
