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Thursday March 28, 2024

Time to invest in obesity treatment services: Dr. Rezzan

By Shahina Maqbool
October 11, 2017

Islamabad :The government has three cards that it can play on World Obesity Day—enact better policies and invest in obesity treatment services, encourage awareness via media campaigns, and provide services to improve health. In addition to actions that the government can take for the benefit of the people, and there are actions that people themselves take to prevent obesity.

Consultant nutritionist at Shifa International Hospital Dr. Rezzan Khan made this observation during an informal chat with ‘The News’ here in connection with World Obesity Day, which was launched in 2015 to stimulate and support practical solutions to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and to reverse the obesity crisis. Obesity is rapidly growing in Pakistan, which has the 9th highest rate of obesity worldwide.

In terms of policies, one immediate option that the government can exercise, Dr. Rezzan stated, is to ban the advertising of foods and beverages on television and radio during hours when children are the main audience. Secondly, the government can also enact policies on easy-to-understand food labels. “Unlike food labels of the past, modern labels focus on clear, understandable messages via direct on-packaging warnings such as “high in sodium, sugars, and saturated fat,” or even traffic light schemes. Furthermore, fiscal policies to increase the price of potentially unhealthy products to encourage a healthier diet can provide an affordable and cost-effective solution to tackle obesity,” she added.

Rules on the display of calorie counts on restaurant menus (e.g., in chain restaurants) can promote more informed food choices, and help reduce excessive calorie intake. Encouraging healthy eating and physical activity with the help of free resources such as healthy recipes, meal and activity planners, must also be looked into, Dr. Rezzan recommended.

In terms of services, the government can provide infrastructure for active recreation such as parks, biking and hiking trails, touristic activities as well as other improved health, sports and exercise infrastructure. This is particularly important for individuals who have been disabled and can benefit mentally from the freedom to compete that sports provides. In Pakistan’s chaotic traffic conditions, anyone of us could end up in this state through no fault of our own.

One key plank of World Obesity Day is to encourage governments to support public nutritional awareness efforts with culturally appropriate media campaigns. These campaigns promote healthier food and activity-related behaviours. The campaign can be conducted through television advertisements (public media spots), radio advertisements (public spots), newspapers, family and/or friends, billboards, and from the Internet and other sources.

“Maintaining a healthy diet and increasing physical activity for obesity prevention should be the key message. Television generates a large share of awareness, emphasizing its importance as a channel for health promotion. However, these campaigns should be sustained for a longer time period to change behaviours,” Dr. Rezzan suggested.

“There are also actions that individuals can take directly. Various professional weight management programmes provide a platform to obese patients and the population at large to engage with each other, to get educated, and to modify their behaviour to reduce obesity. The support group for obese patients and their families would also allow for interaction with fitness-conscious people and allow an understanding of their lifestyle experiences. Some insurance companies might consider even providing medical help on reimbursement of obesity treatments, conditionally. Discounts for the customers shedding a certain amount of weight and maintaining it for specified time could be one option,” Dr. Rezzan further added.

Referring to obese working men and women, Dr. Rezzan said: “If you are affected by obesity, you may want to contact your HR manager and review your obesity care coverage before you choose to stay or switch over to a different healthcare plan for 2018. It is important to understand all your coverage benefits to maximize your healthcare.”

Diets and medications work for some people whose health is compromised by their weight. Bariatric surgeries offer hope, but they come with risks. The best way to fight obesity is to prevent it long before a person becomes a patient. “Let us start fighting obesity in Pakistan and alleviate the miseries associated with it today,” Dr. Rezzan said.

The aim of World Obesity Day is to increase awareness, encourage advocacy, improve policies, and share experiences to reduce, prevent and treat obesity. On this World Obesity Day, the World Obesity Federation is calling on all governments, health service providers, insurers and philanthropic organizations to priorities investment in tackling obesity. This means investment in obesity treatment services to support people affected by obesity, early interventions to improve the success of treatment, and prevention to reduce the need for treatment.