‘Obesity continues to grow’

Medical experts maintain medical condition is a pandemic

KARACHI:

Obesity is a challenge that leads to multiple complications such as diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart diseases and some forms of cancer, stated a public awareness symposium organised by the Dow University of Health Sciences School of Public Health.

According to recent data, as many as 800 million people are obese worldwide. In 2016, around 2 billion adults were reported to be overweight. Of these, over 650 million were obese.

An Obesity Awareness Walk was also held from the School of Public Health in which participants were carrying placards with awareness messages on the causes and prevention of the condition. A free medical camp was also organised for the public, family members of staff, and faculty members of the university.

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DUHS Vice Chancellor Professor Saeed Qurasihy said that obesity is a growing public health challenge affecting both children and adults. "Childhood obesity is a serious concern and lack of physical activity, coupled with unhealthy eating habits, are big contributors to childhood obesity."

Sharing the statistic of the Pakistan Panel Household Survey, Professor Shafique said that overall, 22.8% of the participants, 23.9% of who were men and 21.1% women, were overweight.

DUHS endocrinology professor revealed that obesity continues to be among the top health concerns across the globe. "Obesity is a complex multifactorial disease that accumulated excess body fat leads to negative effects on health".

Published in The Express Tribune, March 17^th, 2022.