ACCORDING to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s (FNRI) study in 2018, the number of obese individuals in the Philippines stands at 5.6 million.
The FNRI specialist, Ms. Chona Patalen, attributes obesity to an imbalanced diet, excessive eating, and lack of exercise.
The data mentioned was collected before the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, which limited people’s mobility.
Given the high number of obese individuals before the pandemic, experts are worried about the potential increase in obesity cases now.
“If we already had a considerable number of pre-diabetic cases before the pandemic, and we observed an increase in overweight and obesity in 2021, it’s likely to rise further this time,” Ms. Chona Patalen, DOST Specialist said.
Diabetes is closely associated with obesity, as reported by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in 2020.
Diabetes ranks among the top killer diseases in the country, along with heart diseases, cancer, and cerebrovascular diseases.
Prof. Hercules Callanta from UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics suggests using a person’s waistline measurement to determine obesity, in addition to BMI.
“Besides your BMI, you can also consider your waist-hip ratio or waist circumference. The tolerable waist circumference for overweight-ness is 35.25, so anything 36 and above is considered overweight,” Prof. Hercules Callanta, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics said.
The rising rates of obesity and diabetes call for prompt government intervention, according to experts.
“While diabetes cannot be cured, exercise can reduce symptoms as it reactivates insulin receptors,” Prof. Hercules Callanta, UP Diliman College of Human Kinetics said.
To maintain good health, experts recommend engaging in 150-300 minutes of physical activity per week.
With the recent lifting of the state of public health emergency due to COVID-19 by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., more Filipinos can now move freely.
Experts hope for the creation of more walkable lanes in Metro Manila to promote physical activity and discourage sedentary behavior.
They advise the government to focus on promoting healthy lifestyles and providing nutrition education to gradually address the growing problem of obesity and diabetes.
