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Obesity Prevention and Awareness Week

The document discusses Obesity Prevention and Awareness Week in the Philippines. It was declared by former President Joseph Estrada in 1999 to be held the first week of September each year. The Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight & Obesity and the Department of Health were tasked with leading awareness efforts about obesity. Obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of fat that presents health risks, and is quantified using body mass index which is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. Factors like technology, industrialization, and unhealthy foods and drinks can contribute to obesity and related diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Individuals and communities can work to prevent obesity through diet and exercise.

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196 views2 pages

Obesity Prevention and Awareness Week

The document discusses Obesity Prevention and Awareness Week in the Philippines. It was declared by former President Joseph Estrada in 1999 to be held the first week of September each year. The Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight & Obesity and the Department of Health were tasked with leading awareness efforts about obesity. Obesity is defined as an abnormal accumulation of fat that presents health risks, and is quantified using body mass index which is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. Factors like technology, industrialization, and unhealthy foods and drinks can contribute to obesity and related diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Individuals and communities can work to prevent obesity through diet and exercise.

Uploaded by

Tedd Camiling
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Obesity Prevention and Awareness Week

Ngayong unang linggo ng Setyembre ay ipinagdiriwang natin ang Obesity Prevention Awareness
Week. Ating alamin sa mga susunod na araw kung ano ang tamang diet na dapat gawin
ngayong panahon ng pandemya upang maiwasan ang obesity, at nang ang lahat ay manatiling
malusog, masigla, at ligtas!

BY virtue of Proclamation No. 162 dated August 21, 1999, the former President Joseph Ejercito
Estrada declared the first week of September of every year as the Obesity Prevention and
Awareness week in the Philippines.

Furthermore, Ex-President Estrada appointed the Philippine Association for the Study of
Overweight & Obesity (PASOO) and the Department of Health (DOH) to spearhead this annual
health promotion and consciousness-raising regarding obesity in the country.

Historically, PASOO was created in 1984 to help address the different concerns in the
prevention and treatment of obesity which is composed of multi-disciplinary professionals
committed to raising awareness of the problem of obesity among Filipinos.

It must be noted as well that prior the enactment of PN 162, obesity had been observed to be
among the many growing variables in the country to cause serious health problems due to the
growing addiction to the Western type of lifestyle and diet that could adversely affect national
socio-economic development.

Lastly, while PN 162 was clearly conceived to combat obesity, it also somehow addressed the
issues of diabetes and heart diseases, as these two latter conditions were known to be the
complications or consequences of obesity. As a matter of fact, 2015 data from WHO inform that
44 percent of people with diabetes and 23 percent of patients with ischemic heart diseases are
attributed to obesity.

The World Health Organization (WHO), obesity means an abnormal or excessive fat
accumulation that presents a risk to health.

WHO also points out that obesity ranges are determined by using the height (in meters) and
weight (in kilograms) to calculate the “body mass index” (BMI), which is quantified by dividing
the weight by the square of height (kg/m2).

It further explains that BMI greater than or equal to 25 is interpreted as overweight. On the
other hand, a BMI equal or greater than 30 is considered obese.

In actuality, the problem of obesity is best approached by exploring the different social
institutions that affect society at the macro level and the individuals at the micro level.
For instance, industrialization makes readily available a cafeteria of unhealthy foods within
reach that could potentially contribute to obesity. In the same thought, technology, when
misused, could likewise foster sedentary lifestyle that is a precipitating factor to obesity.
As a consequence, WHO maintains that obesity may lead to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes
and some cancers (breast, colon and endometrial), which are all considered non-communicable
or non-contagious diseases.
To prevent obesity, individuals are advised to:
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer foods high in sugars, salts and saturated fats.
2. Include more legumes, whole grains and nuts in the diet.
3. Limit the intake of sugar and salt consumption from all sources; don’t eat junk food.
4. Limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to
unsaturated fats.
5. Drink more water instead of sugary drinks.
6. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
7. Engage in regular physical activity (do at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity
activity on most days).
8. Limit TV watching in kids.
At the community level:
1. Create and maintain safe neighborhoods for physical activity and improve access to parks
and playgrounds.
2. Advocate for quality physical education in schools and childcare facilities.
3. Support breastfeeding programs.
The Private or Industrial Sector must:
Voluntarily reduce the sugar, salt and fat content of processed foods.
1. Ensure that healthy and nutritious choices are available and affordable to all consumers.
2. Avoid marketing of junk food, particularly to children.
3. Ensure the availability of healthy food choices and support regular physical activity practice in
the workplace.

Lastly, the Government must:


Create public awareness about diet and physical activity through mass media and other means.
1. Tax unhealthy foods and subsidize locally produced fruits and vegetables.
2. Promote healthy policies and create an environment for walking, bicycling, sports and other
physical activities.
3. Enforce regulations for ensuring healthy diets.

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