By Henrylito D. Tacio
There was a time when being fat meant wealth. So, if someone tells you, “Hey, you are gaining weight.” It simply means that you are becoming rich since you have many foods to eat.
But these days, that’s not the norm anymore. Being fat is associated with malnutrition. Yes, malnutrition does not only mean eating less but also eating too much. More importantly, being overweight means more health issues.
In time, the word obesity came into existence. Worldwide, obesity has tripled since 1975, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO). “Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight,” it reports.
Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. Body mass index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height that is commonly used to classify overweight and obesity in adults. BMI is a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of his or her height in meters.
The WHO defines overweight for adults as a BMI greater than or equal to 25 while obesity is a BMI greater than or equal to 30. “BMI provides the most useful population-level measure of overweight and obesity as it is the same for both sexes and for all ages of adults,” it says.
In a survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) of the Department of Science and Technology, the prevalence of obesity among Filipino adults doubled from 20.2% in 1998 to 37.2% in 2018.
This made endocrinologist Dr. Rosa Allyn Sy, former president of the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity Inc. (PASOO) to consider obesity a “growing epidemic.”
Children are not exempt from such worrying trends. A joint study conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2016 showed obesity among Filipino children below 5 years old jumped 400% – from one percent prevalence in 2 to 5% in 2013.
About 13% of Filipino adolescents are overweight and obese, according to the 2011 Global School-based Health Survey. In 2018, the figures were even distressing: one out of four children aged 6-10 years and one out of every 10 adolescents are overweight and obese.
“People who were obese as children are more likely to be obese as adults,” states The Merck Manual of Medical Information, “largely because when weight is gained during infancy and early childhood, new fat cells form. People who become obese during childhood may have up to five times more fat cells than people who maintain a normal weight.”
In a recent report, “Tackling obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact and guidance on interventions,” obesity cost the Philippines between $500 million to S1 billion, or equivalent to between 4% and 8% of its health-care spending. “This makes the country the fourth-highest spender for obesity-related problems,” the report said.
But what causes obesity and being overweight? “The fundamental cause of obesity and overweight is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended,” the WHO says.
All over the world, it has been found that there is an increased intake of energy-dense foods that are high in fat and sugar, which cause the weight of a person to surge.
Dr. Ricardo Fernando, a member of the Philippine Society of Hypertension. He traced the current problem of obesity in the country to Filipinos’ passion for food, as illustrated by the popularity of buffet diners. “Everywhere you go, restaurants are offering such promos, probably taking advantage of the Filipinos’ excessive appetite,” he observed.
Dr. Mia C. Fojas, of Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity Inc. (PASSO) points this out: “We are almost following the practices in Western countries where our local fast-food chains offer upsized food and drinks.” This is particularly true among teenagers. UNICEF reports that adolescent obesity among Filipinos has almost tripled in the last 15 years (based on the Philippine Expanded National Nutrition Survey in 2018) as processed foods high in salt, fats and sugar are becoming more accessible and affordable.
In addition, there is an increase in physical inactivity due to the increasingly sedentary nature of many forms of work, changing modes of transportation, and increasing urbanization.
Too much time on mobile phones can also lead to obesity, according to Colombian researchers. Young adults who use their mobile phones five or more hours per day have a 43% increase in obesity and other health-related problems, the study found.
Researchers found that students who are glued to their mobile phones “were twice as likely to drink more sugary drinks, fast food, sweets, snacks and have decreased physical activity.”
There are also medical conditions that can trigger obesity; these include polycystic ovary syndrome in women and an underactive thyroid. Not to mention are certain medications that can also add weights such as steroids and antidepressants.
PASSO’s Dr. Rosa Allyn Sy says genetic factors contribute some 25% to becoming obese. This means that if your father or mother or both parents are obese, there is a tendency that you will become obese, too. “Obesity tends to run in families,” the Merck manual says.
“Overweight and obesity are largely preventable,” the WHO says. “Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices, by making the choice of healthier foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice, and therefore preventing overweight and obesity.” – ###
Additional photo: independentnurse.co.uk
