Obesity and overweight are important risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) aims to collect information on nutritional Status in nationally representative samples of primary school-aged children living in the WHO European Region.
Thirteen Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden) participated in the first wave of COSI in 2007–2008. A further four countries joined the second round of COSI in 2009–2010. Other five countries participated in the third round of COSI which took place in 19 countries during the 2012–2013 school year.