Turkey is intensifying its efforts to combat obesity.

The nation has initiated a public weight measurement campaign to address rising obesity rates, a move that has sparked criticism for potentially shaming overweight individuals and infringing on personal autonomy. 

The “Learn Your Ideal Weight, Live Healthy” campaign aims to assess approximately 10 million people between May 10 and July 10. Those identified as overweight will be directed to health centers for nutritional advice and monitoring by dietitians. 

This controversial campaign seeks to raise awareness about the risks associated with chronic weight issues and encourage healthier lifestyles.

Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu announced the initiative earlier this month, stating that health personnel would conduct measurements in public areas throughout all 81 provinces, according to Turkish media reports. 

Images shared on social media by Turkey’s health ministry depict health officials measuring people’s height and weight at designated checkpoints in public spaces.

Individuals’ weight and height are measured to calculate their body mass index (BMI), a standard calculation used to determine if a person has a healthy weight for their height.

Individuals with a BMI of 25 or higher will be referred to the program.

The initiative has faced criticism for being invasive, stigmatizing, and effectively promoting public fat shaming. Detractors also argue that the government is not adequately addressing underlying issues such as rising food costs, stagnant wages, and limited access to affordable healthy food.

Turkish psychiatrist and academic Gökben Hızlı Sayar likened the stations to “fat checkpoints” and recounted her own experience of being measured. 

“I got caught in a fat car showdown in Üsküdar Square,” she wrote on X last week. “Luckily, they reprimanded me a little and let me go. When I saw the radar, I warned 3 fat people who were going that way to flash their headlights at each other. Today is the day of unity, my fat brothers.”

However, the health minister maintained that the goal is to educate the public and improve their health.

In a show of solidarity, Memişoğlu had his own measurements taken and revealed that he exceeded the limit, although the extent was not specified.

“Which dietitian should I go to?” he jokingly asked reporters before adding, “It turns out I’m a little over. It’s up to me now, I’ll walk every day,” Turkish Minute reported. 

Memişoğlu also posted a video of himself walking, stating, “It’s time to get down to business, we’ll walk every day.”

Turkey has a population of approximately 85 million people, with around 32.1% classified as obese, according to the World Health Organization. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese. 

This rate is lower than in the United States, where recent CDC studies indicate an adult obesity rate of 40.3%.

Experts attribute Turkey’s obesity rate to increased fast-food consumption, financial barriers to accessing healthy food, and decreased physical activity due to urbanization.

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