Obesity causes disease from head to toe and shortens your life! Survey: 50% of people don’t understand the definition of obesity

The World Obesity Federation estimates that by 2030, there will be 1 billion obese people in the world, which means that one in every five women and one in every seven men will suffer from obesity. In 10 years, the population in Taiwan with a BMI greater than 30 will exceed 10%, possibly exceeding 2.31 million people. Obesity can lead to many diseases, from anxiety and depression, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease, lung disease, chronic back pain, arthritis, gout, cancer, and even a reduction in life expectancy.

The hidden dangers of obesity include short-term impacts on quality of life, inducing diseases, and long-term heavy burdens on families, society and the government. Research has shown that multiple interventions, including medicine, health education, local government, and investment of government resources, can effectively reduce obesity rates and achieve the vision of a healthy city and a healthy country.

Survey: People don't understand the definition of obesity

The Taiwan Obesity Medicine Association conducted a nationwide survey on obesity awareness among adults aged 20 and above in November this year. A total of 1,225 valid responses were obtained. The survey report showed that nearly 70% (66%) of the public agreed that obesity is a chronic disease, and nearly 50% (47%) were unclear about the definition of obesity. The older the population, the higher the proportion of those who were unclear. Dr. Lin Wenyuan, president of the Taiwan Obesity Medical Association, said that obesity "is the root cause of the impact from head to toe, from inside to outside."

The key to weight loss is disease prevention

The survey report shows that less than 20% (14.7%) of people who are losing weight seek professional help, and less than 5% of people obtain weight loss information from medical institutions or government agencies. Dr. Lin Wenyuan explained that losing weight is not as simple as just eating less and exercising more. Genes, hormones, the brain's pleasure mechanism, other psychological factors, and whether there are other medications that affect weight all require a complete assessment. While most people lose weight based on looking better, the real focus is on disease prevention and improving quality of life.

Jia Shuli, deputy director of the National Health Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that the National Health Administration has actively promoted "obesity prevention and treatment" in recent years, with the goal of practicing healthy body posture and making a healthy lifestyle a natural way of life. To this end, the National Health Administration not only promotes obesity prevention guidelines for various ethnic groups, but also works together with local governments. All counties and cities hold health education lectures and promotional activities, and set up community nutrition promotion centers. Professional nutritionists provide the public with more accurate and diverse health promotion information, increase consultation channels, and hope to establish correct obesity prevention concepts.

Experts call on the public to seek professional medical treatment to find out the root cause of obesity and actively lose weight. (Photo courtesy of Taiwan Obesity Medical Association)

Cities have a significant effect in preventing and treating obesity

Half of the world's population lives in cities. Whether cities can plan and systematically cooperate with multiple parties is also a trend in various countries. A survey on the effectiveness of obesity prevention and control in cities around the world shows that facilities in schools and kindergartens, food nutrition labels, access to healthy meals, health education and support systems, and even obesity diagnosis, BMI assessment, and policy intervention can effectively reduce obesity rates. The city of Philadelphia in the United States has promoted the "Healthy Philadelphians" program, which uses a multi-faceted approach, including promoting healthy food and improving the safety of outdoor sports, and has reduced the obesity rate among children by 6.5%.

Professor Guo Xianwen, secretary general of the Taiwan Healthy Cities Alliance, cited the report to remind that despite the remarkable achievements made in extending human lifespan over the past two centuries, humans may have failed due to obesity. Secretary-General Guo also pointed out that the more urbanized a region is, the higher the proportion of obese people is. Political environment factors play an important role in improving the obesity-causing environment, and government agencies must examine it more carefully. It calls on local governments to work closely with the central government to jointly prevent and control obesity.

In fact, the National Health Insurance currently provides some subsidies to help people with severe obesity who need surgical treatment lose weight. However, overweight and obese people cannot ignore the threats posed by obesity. With professional assistance, changing lifestyle, adopting a low-calorie diet, or evaluating whether drug treatment is appropriate can help people maintain a safe and healthy body shape. The survey report also found that more than 70% of respondents agreed that the government should invest enough resources to prevent and treat obesity. If there is public budget support, nearly 70% of respondents are willing to actively carry out obesity treatment. Among them, the heavier the weight of the respondents, the higher the proportion of support and agreement.

Experts call on the public to seek professional medical treatment to find out the root cause of obesity and actively lose weight. We also call on local governments and the central government to continue to allocate budgets to support obesity prevention and control and move towards healthy cities.