Health in Italy

In comparison to other Western countries, Italy has a relatively low rate of adult obesity (below 10%[3]), as there are several health benefits of the Mediterranean diet.

[5] Smoking in public places including bars, restaurants, night clubs and offices has been restricted to specially ventilated rooms since 2005.

[6] In 2013, UNESCO added the Mediterranean diet to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of Italy (promoter), Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus and Croatia.

[7][8] As with any developed country, Italy has adequate and sufficient water and food distribution, and levels of nutrition and sanitation are high.

According to studies, 18 million people in Italy annually are confronted with at least one slight water shortage, and 18% of Italian families have been recorded as having irregular distribution patterns.

[10] According to a decree issued by the state, the maximum presence of herbicides or similar materials in Italy drinking water is 0.5 μg per litre.

[10] Italy's nutritious and generally healthy cuisine ensures that Italians are well-nourished and eat good food.

[14] The Italian vaccination system is complex because services and decisions are delivered by 21 separate regional authorities creates many variations.

[17] Aiming to integrate immunization strategies across the country and equitize access to disease prevention, the Italian Ministry of Health issued the National Immunization Prevention Plan (Piano Nazionale Prevenzione Vaccinale) in 2012 which proposed an institutional "lifecourse" approach to vaccination.

The law compelling children to have 10 vaccinations in order to enroll at state schools came into effect in March 2018 but in August 2018 the Five Star Movement pushed legislation through the Italian Senate abolishing it.

It has not yet passed the Chamber of Deputies but parents do not now have to provide schools with a doctor's note to show their children have been vaccinated.