World Obesity Day 2024

Overcoming Obesity
Obesity is a complex disease defined by an excessive amount of body fat that harms health.

It is one of today’s most visible, yet undertreated, public health burden. The WHO has even coined the term “globesity” to describe the escalating global epidemic of overweight (Body Mass Index over 25) and obesity (BMI over 30). In developing countries, an estimated 115 million people suffer from obesity-related problems. In the Philippines, among 30% of adults are overweight and 10% are obese.

Obesity poses a major risk for diet-related diseases, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke and certain forms of cancer. Other issues that affect quality of life include depression, shame and guilt and lower work achievement brought about by the weight stigma.

It is not solely due to lack of willpower nor personal responsibility – contributing factors include genetic risk, environmental impact and healthcare access. The battle is formidable but beatable with an arsenal of diet, physical activity and lifestyle changes. A healthy and sustainable weight loss should be built on a partnership between a motivated patient and a committed team of health professionals. This team includes the doctors, dietitians, diabetes educators, physical therapists and other specialists, depending on the needs of each patient. Scientific evidence has shown that multidisciplinary programs effectively produce and sustain modest weight loss between 5% and 10%.

Chong Hua Hospital’s Center for Diabetes, Thyroid, and Metabolic Disorders is committed to this goal. Services packages include nutrition counseling and for those with pre-diabetes or diabetes, education on diabetes, glucose monitoring and treatment. The personalized meal planning provided by dietitians will make healthy choices more affordable for everyone and come up with the best diet intervention – the one which the patient can adhere to in the long run.

Sources:
https://www.who.int/activities/controlling-the-global-obesity-epidemic