MOSCOW, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Around 20 percent of Russian children are overweight, while 6 to 8 percent are obese, Valentina Aleksandrovna Peterkova, chief freelance pediatric endocrinologist of the Russian Ministry of Health, was cited Wednesday by RIA Novosti as saying.
Speaking at a medical conference, Peterkova, who is also an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that Russia ranks low in childhood obesity among European countries; however, she warned that the figures remain a cause for concern.
"We rank sixth from the bottom among European countries in terms of childhood obesity ... but it's still a problem," she said at the meeting.
Earlier in June, Russia's Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko reported that 480,000 Russian schoolchildren are obese, noting a 1.6-fold increase in overall childhood obesity rates. The minister attributed this rise to sedentary lifestyles, poor nutrition and low interest in sports.
The total obesity rate among children aged 15-17 has increased by 9.2 percent since 2018, the minister said. ■