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conferenceseries.com
Volume 8 Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss Therapy
ISSN: 2165-7904 Childhood Obesity 2018
March 15-16, 2018
March 15-16, 2018 | Barcelona, Spain
11th International Conference on
Childhood Obesity and Nutrition
The balanced nutrition education programme in schools in Turkey
Julian D Stowell, Burcu Aksoy Canyolu, Deniz Miray Arca and H Tanju Besler
Sabri Ülker Foundation, Turkey
The nutritional status of the Turkish populationmirrors in other European countries and around the world. Turkey currently
ranks second in Europe in terms of the number of overweight people. However, this overweight population is increasing
more rapidly than elsewhere. Almost a quarter of seven and eight year old children in urban environments are now obese
whilst in rural areas the figure is less at about 13-15%. The attendant risks of obesity including cardiovascular disease, type
2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and reduced quality of life and life-expectancy are well documented and are manifest at
high levels in Turkey. In addition to the more obvious problems associated with obesity, several other nutrition related issues
prevail in Turkey. These include, stunting of children due to malnourishment, which predominates in rural communities,
running at about 5-6%, iodine deficiency which was recorded at 27.8% of the population in 2009 and high salt intake which,
at 14.8 grams per day, is almost three times the recommended level. Turkey has a relatively young population in comparison
with other European countries, providing an excellent opportunity to make a positive difference. Against this background the
Sabri Űlker Food Research Foundation was established in 2009 with a view to improve public health in Turkey and beyond. A
particular focus of the Foundation has been food, nutrition and physical activity education in schools. The balanced nutrition
education programme was established in 2011 in collaboration with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). BNF education
materials were adapted for local use by colleagues at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Hacettepe University in Ankara. The initial
target was 2nd to 4th grade students but, spurred on by the success of the programme, students from preschool up to 8th grade
are now included. Some 6 million students, their teachers and families have now been reached by the programme. Research
has been undertaken to evaluate the impact of the programme and positive results have been achieved with respect to energy
intake (reduced), weight management (improved) and physical activity, (increased). In 2017, the Balanced Nutrition Education
Project won the most successful Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Project) award, organized by Türkiye Sağlık Gönülleri
Vakfi. Details of the programme and the results obtained will be provided.
Biography
Julian D Stowell has retired as a Vice President of Scientific Affairs for DuPont, becoming a Consultant in Nutrition Science and Legislation. He has a background
in biochemistry, holding degrees from Birmingham University, University of Kent and University of Hertfordshire, all in the UK. He has 40 years of experience in
R&D, manufacturing, commercial and scientific roles in the food and pharmaceutical sectors. He is a board member of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI)
Europe, and in May, 2010 was appointed as a Visiting Research Professor at Oxford Brookes University Centre for Nutrition and Health, formerly Functional Foods
Centre. He is a Fellow of Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and Past President of RSM Forum on Food and Health. He has also chaired and participated in many
other groups active in the field of Health and Nutrition.
Julian D Stowell et al., J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7904-C1-057