Every five years, the weight of an average Ukrainian increases by two - three kilograms, specialist of the Healthcare Ministry Ukrainian Scientific-Practical Center for Endocrine Surgery Health Volodymyr Pantiv told a press conference "Non-communicable diseases - a new global threat", ForUm correspondent reports.
"Every third citizen of Ukraine is overweight. 1 million 200 thousand Ukrainians have diabetes and the worst thing is that other three-four millions live unaware of their disease," he informed.
The specialist told that every year 100 thousand our fellow citizens are diagnosed with diabetes. "These figures are alarming," Pantiv said.
He also emphasized that early diagnosis is very important for further treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases. "Unfortunately, when we go to the most remote corners of Ukraine to checkup to take free blood tests for sugar, measure blood pressure, we are confronted with the fact that about 20% of adults do not want to go for checkups. Ukrainian nation does not have the cult of health," he said.
Pantiv reminded that the state of health is 80% dependent on a person himself. "No wonder-medicine will work if a person is diagnosed with diabetes at the stage when he facing amputation or developed blindness," the doctor stated.
In addition, he said that in the world 40 million children under five years of age suffer from overweight and obesity.
