Fight obesity: Eat well, move more

In a country where food is central to culture and social life, it’s easy to overlook the growing health crisis simmering beneath the surface. But the numbers are alarming: obesity and lifestylerelated diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease are on the rise in the Philippines.

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According to a survey of the Department of Science and Technology’s Food and Nutrition Research Institute, around 27 million Filipinos are overweight and obese. For the past two decades, overweight and obesity among adults has almost doubled from 20.2 percent in 1998 to 36.6 percent in 2019.

Another survey conducted between July 2021 and June 2022 showed that 38.6 percent of adults aged 20 and 59 in the Philippines were diagnosed as obese or overweight. Obesity increases the risk for severe diseases and health conditions such as hypertension, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Meanwhile, the prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among adolescents have more than doubled from 4.9 percent in 2003 to 11.6 percent in 2018. It is projected that more than 30 percent of Filipino adolescents will be overweight and obese by 2030.

The culprits are obvious but hard to tackle. Sedentary lifestyles with no exercise, poor diets rich in processed foods, and lack of awareness about proper nutrition are all contributing factors. The shift toward urbanization has only exacerbated the problem, with fast food outlets becoming more accessible than fresh produce. And with the convenience of home delivery, it is now easier to order fast food than buy fruits.