Fight against a budging epidemic

The world is heading towards a health crisis driven by obesity, a body condition that has been overlooked for many decades. While many consider it a cosmetic concern, obesity is a complex disease with profound social, economic and health implications.

Like many other international days to create awareness and action on issues of human concern, every year on March 4 we observe World Obesity Day to educate people about the risks linked with this life-altering disease.

Like the previous years, this year too, people from various international and local organisations all over the world stood together to raise awareness about the budging crisis.

According to World Health Organization, obesity has reached a global epidemic proportion, with roughly 800 million individuals affected and at least 2.8 million people dying each year as a result of being overweight or obese.

If these rising trends persist, 70 per cent of the global deaths and 57 per cent of the disease burden worldwide may be attributable to obesity by 2030, reports indicate.

It is not restricted to developed societies alone. Even some lower-income countries have experienced the most staggering rises in their obesity rates over the past decades.

Health experts link obesity with a range of chronic diseases that are directly responsible for the majority of deaths related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development finds as a major challenge for sustainable development.

Overweight, particularly obesity, is the most important threat for many heart diseases such as high blood pressure, and in addition diabetes mellitus, and certain types of cancers like breast and endometrial cancers.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we found that obese patients who suffered from coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma were more vulnerable to the severity of the virus.

Even if a person is only slightly overweight, experts point out that the risk increases and becomes more serious due to the rise in the body mass index. Experts believe that increased exposure to unhealthy lifestyles has made people, especially in urban areas, more prone to obesity.

In the Sultanate of Oman, like other countries in the Gulf countries, social advancement has brought changes in eating patterns leading to trends of overweight and obesity-related comorbidities.

The results of a recent cross-sectional community-based survey of the population in the Sultanate of Oman showed how obesity has become a severe public health issue that is escalating at an alarming rate.

The survey found that almost 66 per cent, which is two-thirds of the population, was overweight. Significantly, Omani women specifically were identified as having a higher prevalence of obesity rate of 40.9 per cent against Omani men with 28.2 per cent.

Although the advancement in the socio-economic growth in Oman combined with the demographic developments are good health indicators, the drastic rise in complex diseases like cardiovascular heart diseases, diabetes and other obesity-linked disorders to name a few can, however, swamp the accomplishments achieved during the past years.

Experts suggest that all people disregarding their age must take obesity very seriously, not just because it hampers our day-to-day functions, but because it also increases our risk of developing chronic conditions and raises unprecedented challenges.

By changing public perceptions, promoting healthy lifestyle choices and developing new solutions that address the root causes of obesity, we can make progress towards a healthier and more inclusive world.