but a particular concern is that the proportion of adolescents who are overweight or obese has gone up quite rapidly and now equals the eu average the proportion of yearold boys in italy who are overweight or obese is particularly high this high and rising overweight and obesity rate among adolescents in italy is linked at least partly to low levels of physical activity figure at the national level the government exercises a stewardship role controls and distributes the taxfinanced health budget and defines the national benefits package known as the essential levels of care that must be guaranteed to all citizens and foreign residents regions are responsible for the organisation planning and delivery of health services through local health authorities