BAGUIO CITY – An endocrinologist underscored that high body mass index (BMI) is among the top ten risk factors driving the most deaths and disability combined in the country from 2009 to 2019.
Dr. Nemecio Nicodemus, Jr., president of the Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity, said that among the top ten risk factors leading to the death of Filipinos are malnutrition, tobacco, air pollution, high blood pressure, dietary risk, high fasting plasma glucose, high body mass index, alcohol use, kidney dysfunction and high bad cholesterol.
He explained that obesity is abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health and it is one side of the double burden of malnutrition.
Further the latest definition of obesity is a chronic, progressive, relapsing and treatable multi-factorial, neuro-behavioral disease where an increase in body fat promotes adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal fat mass physical forces, resulting in adverse metabolic, biomechanical, and psycho-social health consequences.
Among the factors that can influence the chronic positive energy balance are overeating, socio-cultural, lack of knowledge, peer pressure, uncontrolled eating, hunger, emotional eating, snacking, lack of sleep and medications.
Under the Philippine Clinical Guidelines for the Screening and Diagnosis of Obesity Among Adults, for adult Filipinos, the use of the Asia-Pacific criteria rather than the World Health Organization Global criteria for body mass index has been recommended to diagnose overweight and obesity.
He clarified that there is an abnormal fat distribution if an individual has more weight above waist.
Moreover, among adult Filipinos, it has been suggested that the use of waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio in addition to body mass index to diagnose obesity.
However, Filipinos may have high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol even with a low weight and a small waistline.
Among the overall management goals for people with obesity include improved quality of life, improved patient health and improved body weight and composition.
Based on the data gathered by the health department, 66 percent of Filipinos are considered to be overweight or obese that warrants the change in lifestyle to be able to get rid of the possibility of suffering from heart attack or any other complications that may compromise their health condition leading to untimely deaths.
The expert considers the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Filipino adults aged 20 and above as alarming and that projections show significant increases in the coming years of individuals will not embrace changes in their lifestyles for them to maintain their ideal body weight and body mass index to reduce their chances of suffering from heart attack and other life threatening complications of being overweight and obese.
Nicodemus was part of the panel of experts that crafted the Philippine Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Screening and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity among Filipinos. By Dexter A. See
