Half of Israeli Adults Now Overweight

More than half of Israeli adults are overweight or obese, lawmakers and health officials told the Knesset Health Committee on Wednesday, warning that Israel’s current investment in prevention and treatment falls far short of the scale of the problem.

Acting committee chair MK Tsega Melaku of Likud called for an immediate investment of NIS 100-200 million to expand obesity prevention and treatment programs. The current national budget for obesity-related programs is NIS 17 million, while officials said the lack of adequate treatment and prevention costs the economy around NIS 30 billion each year.

Health officials said 50-60% of Israeli adults are now categorized as overweight or obese. Among children, 18.8% of first graders are overweight or obese, a figure that rises to 31.4% by seventh grade.

Officials pointed to several causes behind the trend, including the high cost of medications, weak access to health services in low-income areas and peripheral regions, and a lack of culturally and linguistically accessible educational material, particularly for Arab and Ethiopian communities.

Obesity rates are higher in Arab society than among Jews. Among Ethiopian immigrants, officials said diabetes diagnoses have risen sharply, from 0.4% in 1991 to 14% today.

A 2022 Health Ministry survey found that Israel’s rates of obesity and excess weight are high compared to other countries. According to the World Health Organization, adult obesity worldwide has more than doubled since 1990, while adolescent obesity has quadrupled.

During the hearing, Prof. Aron Troen of Hebrew University criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s 2023 cancellation of the sugar tax, which had been introduced by the previous government to reduce consumption of unhealthy drinks. Troen said early evidence had shown a 10-22% drop in consumption while the tax was in effect.

Representatives of the Maccabi Health Fund told the committee that obesity treatment and prevention are strategic priorities. Dietitian Limor Tal Poni said Maccabi has opened eight adult obesity clinics, two adolescent clinics, 20 children’s clinics, and both in-person and online workshops.

Patients’ Rights Association chairman Shmulik Ben Yaakov warned that obesity is deepening social inequality, particularly because residents of the periphery often face economic and bureaucratic barriers to treatment. He said obesity should be treated as a chronic disease rather than a matter of personal choice.

The committee called on the Health Ministry to launch public awareness campaigns, expand accessible prevention materials, limit advertising of harmful foods, encourage health funds to open more obesity clinics in the periphery, and consider taxing unhealthy foods while subsidizing healthier ones.