Promoting a healthy lifestyle, or let’s get involved in the fight against obesity
Obesity is a global problem, but in Poland it is an especially important issue for consideration. Hence, Wroclaw Medical University introduces the health campaign raising awareness about obesity, which is supported by the University of Wrocław.
Our University joined the #nabieraMYodwagi (#ITakeMyWise) campaign by signing a letter of intent on 1st September. Such agreements are ratified with higher education institutions to overcome the challenge together. Childhood obesity and excessive consumption of sugar in fact requires cooperation of multiple sectors, both academic and social.
Prof. Marzena Dominiak, Vice-Rector for Internationalization at Wroclaw Medical University is the initiator of the #nabieraMYodwagi (#ITakeMyWise) campaign. The campaign promotes a healthy lifestyle, but above all it seeks to raise awareness among children and their parents about the harmful effects of sugar and obesity on health.
“It is a great pleasure and joy to join all the actions promoted by Medical University that aim to fight the problem of obesity,” emphasises prof. Patrycja Matusz, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation at the University of Wrocław. “It is very important to shape healthy habits and lifestyle. We have academics, teachers, and psychologists on our team for whom these issues are also very important.”
“Only by combining the knowledge, experience and potential of various universities can we act more effectively in education, prevention and implementation of lasting changes in social awareness,” believes prof. Marzena Dominiak.
The initiative has real support from institutions responsible for shaping and developing education, among them Lower Silesia Authority of Education, and this intersectoral cooperation offers the biggest opportunity for lasting and positive results.
According to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), currently 39 million children under the age of 5 and over than 1.9 billion adults in the world are overweight or obese. Obesity is a serious chronic disease, which has numerous health and economic consequences, including an increased risk of cancer and greater burden on the health care system. According to the World Bank data, by 2030 obesity will reduce the GDP of the European Union by 2.5%, which is comparable to the economic impact of COVID-19.
In recent decades, the number of overweight and obese children has been rising dramatically. Polish children are gaining weight the fastest in Europe, and every third child has already excess body weight. At the same time, experts warn that the belief that “a child will ‘outgrow’ obesity” is a myth – the majority of obese children will remain so in adulthood.
#nabieraMYodwagi (#ITakeMyWise)
More information about the campaign can be found on the website.
Prepared by: Katarzyna Górowicz-Maćkiewicz
Added by: E.K.
Date of publication: 1.09.2025.
Translated by Darya Tserashkevich (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
