50% of Europeans need to cut the fat

(EOD)

May 22 is Europe's first Obesity Day and will launch a series of campaigns centered on the goal of getting the 50% of Europeans that are overweight and obese to shed 5-10% of their overall bodyweight.

By dropping the kilos, women and men will avoid other health challenges like diabetes and heart problems.

US First Lady Michelle Obama launched an aggressive campaign against childhood obesity with Let's Move in February but this is the first big step taken by the European Union.

European Obesity Day's (EOD) site offers detailed information on health tips and public policy plus asks all Europeans to sign the initiative's petition available in eleven languages and supported by pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and Celesio.

The petition's goal is to drive the EU to implement ways to empower overweight and obese individuals by offering support, promote healthy lifestyles and ensure health coverage for effective therapies, encourage healthcare professionals to recognize obesity as a chronic disease, create clinical guidelines on weight loss and various interventions and evaluate best country practices throughout Europe.

For more information on what is happening in your country and to calculate your body mass index (BMI), go to: http://www.obesityday.eu