Europeans Stop their Escalators for Three Days

Europeans Stop their Escalators for Three Days: Escalators in some of the largest Bulgarian shopping centers were stopped for three days and people had to use stairs, as the country marked the first European Obesity Day on Saturday, May 22. The aim is to motivate and support overweight European citizens to reach and maintain a healthy weight to improve their quality of life. Escalators were stopped, while doctor volunteers helped passers-by to measure their blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index free of charge. A survey conducted in 2008 showed that 30.6 percent of the Bulgarian children in the first grade were overweight, while in 1998 the figure was 23.3 percent.