49% of the Belgian population has overweight, of which 18% have obesity. That is the result from Sciensano’s Food Consumption Survey conducted in 2022-2023. This percentage remains unchanged compared to the previous survey in 2014-2015. Nearly a third of the population aged 10 years and older is trying to lose weight, among them 21% use dangerous methods to do so. According to Sciensano, weight-related problems are still too common and policy should focus more on reducing health risks related to weight. 
 

Over two-thirds of the burden of disease in Europe stems from cancer and other NCDs, and with a significant amount of this burden being preventable. There are notable disparities between and within communities due to individual attributes and contextual elements, including socioeconomic status, gender, geography, age, disability, and migration background.

Each year, over 9,000 people die in Belgium as a result of smoking. These are the latest findings from Sciensano, Belgium’s public health institute. This represents one death every hour. Despite a clear decreasing trend in the number of smoking-related deaths, inequalities persist, with a greater impact among men and in Brussels and Wallonia. On World No Tobacco Day, Sciensano wants to draw more attention to the consequences of smoking.