Česky
Since 1975, the number of obese people worldwide has almost tripled. Nearly 40% of adults (39% of men and 40% of women) were overweight in 2016, and 13% of people (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese. If we focus on Europe, the overall numbers would be even worse. In 2014, 21% of men and 23% of women on the old continent were obese, according to the Global Nutrition Report.
One of the main causes of obesity is a lifestyle with a lack of exercise. According to the WHO, one in five Czechs do not exercise at all, and not even half of our population gets the recommended weekly amount of exercise. This is not drastically high - according to experts, we should do sport (or at least some physical activity) for at least three hours a week. This is equivalent to just 26 minutes each day.
In the Czech Republic, according to the Czech Medical Association, the costs of obesity treatment amount to 10% of total health expenditure, which is approximately CZK 30 billion a year.
"In the Czech Republic, 71% of men and almost 57% of women are overweight or even obese. The highest number in history," says Milan Pastucha, MD, head of the orthopaedic department at Hořovice Hospital, who was one of the initiators of the construction of the bicycle storage room at the hospital. "A good example for us can be the view of the Danish Minister of Health, who urged the Danish population to adopt a healthy lifestyle - cycling and keeping fit. There are clearly calculated health costs that are gradually increasing and with better fitness, the need to spend less in the system. Closely related to this is a good infrastructure for cyclists, which includes being able to park a bike at work," the chief describes the situation. "After an agreement with the owner of the hospital, Sotirios Zavalianis, who is open to new ideas, a bike room was created in our hospital where bikes can be safely parked and electric bikes can be charged. This offers employees the opportunity to change their lifestyle, reduce their weight, save petrol and improve their physical condition," he praises the possibility of using the bike store, adding: "My child has been cycling to nursery almost every day since the age of 4 and was the only one. I believe that schools will gradually have bike parking and, most importantly, that it will improve the consideration of Czech drivers, because the network of bike paths is poor and the roads are used for cars and bikes at the same time."
The bicycle storage room at the Hořovice Hospital can accommodate up to 75 bicycles. 20 spaces are equipped with a charging socket, so it is possible to park electric bicycles here. The whole area is monitored.
