European children exhibit alarming decline in fitness and rise in obesity rates

A comprehensive study reveals that children and teenagers across Europe, including Croatia, are experiencing wracked muscle strength, poor posture, and increased body fat, prompting urgent calls for improved health policies and interventions.

Children and teenagers across Europe are showing weaker muscle strength, poorer posture and higher body fat levels, according to a large study from the University of Zaragoza that the Croatian outlet Slobodna Bosna highlighted in its report. The trend, described as the lowest level of physical fitness in 60 years, is reflected in Croatia too, where one in three eight-year-olds is overweight, according to the World Health Organisation.

Teachers and school staff say the change is visible in everyday movement. Ante Sudec, a physical education teacher at IV Primary School in Varaždin, told Slobodna Bosna that children are losing stamina, agility and coordination, and increasingly struggle with basic skills such as throwing and catching a ball. Tjaša Juraković Antolić, a pedagogue at Središće Primary School in Zagreb, said children spend far more time sitting, whether in front of screens, on transport or even in playgrounds, where free play is often replaced by sitting with parents and scrolling online.

Experts warn that the consequences go beyond fitness. Kineziologist Igor Kaurinović said children are losing spatial awareness, balance and fine motor skills, while also showing postural problems and difficulty with eye co-ordination needed for catching and passing. Vilko Petrić, dean of the Faculty of Teacher Education in Rijeka, said a child’s early movement patterns are changing too, with many unable to roll or move fluidly without using extra force from their arms or legs. Katja Dumbić Kubat, a paediatric endocrinology specialist at Zagreb Clinical Hospital Centre, linked the rise in childhood weight gain to constant access to baked goods, sugary drinks in schools, long working hours for parents and the decline of family meals at the table.

The public health response is also gathering pace. Dražen Gorjanski, a family doctor and head of the POST association, said groups working to prevent excess weight have drafted a bill to protect children from obesity and improve nutrition labelling. He said the proposal rests on three pillars: clearer labelling of foods that exceed nutritional thresholds, education from pregnancy through to secondary school, and protection from aggressive marketing of unhealthy products. He pointed to Chile as an example, where warning labels and restrictions on marketing were introduced in 2016. Public health research there has produced mixed findings: one study found a short-term fall in obesity risk, while another concluded that the initial improvement did not last. Even so, the Croatian debate underscores a wider concern in the region, with experts warning that the combination of inactivity, convenience food and screen time is reshaping children’s health.