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Number of overweight Filipino adolescents tripled in last 15 years: WHO

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<p>MANILA - The number of overweight Filipino adolescents has tripled in the last 15 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.</p><p>Overweight and obese children are very likely to &quot;stay obese into adulthood and to develop noncommunicable diseases,&quot; the WHO said in a statement, citing data from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute&#x27;s (FNRI) 2019 study.</p><p>&quot;There is a higher rate of overweight and obese children in urban areas than in rural areas and higher prevalence of several risk factors and environmental conditions could rapidly increase the rates,&quot; the WHO said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/09/10/20/obesity-greatest-risk-factor-for-young-adults-with-covid-19">Obesity greatest risk factor for young adults with COVID-19</a></li></ul><p>Among Filipinos under 5 years old, 2.9 percent are overweight, while the prevalence of it is at 9.1 percent for Filipinos aged between 5 and 10-years old.</p><p>On the other hand, at least 9.8 percent of young people ages 10 to 19 years old are overweight. </p><p>The Department of Health (DOH) said it &quot;recognizes the complex and multifaceted problems of childhood overweight and obesity&quot; that would require multisectoral and comprehensive strategies to effectively and sustainably prevent and manage. </p><p>The issue of obesity and overweight needs to be addressed &quot;to mitigate its future risk on non-communicable diseases, premature death and disability in adulthood,&quot; Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a statement. </p><p>&quot;The economic costs of this escalating problem are considerable both in terms of the enormous financial strains it will place on the health care system and lost economic productivity,” he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/03/05/21/obesity-a-driving-factor-in-covid-19-deaths-global-report-finds">Obesity a driving factor in COVID-19 deaths, global report finds</a></li></ul><p>To prevent obesity and undernutrition, proper nutrition should be given to children especially in the first 1,000 days of life, said Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang, Executive Director of the National Nutrition Council (NNC).</p><p>Solving obesity in children &quot;requires political commitment&quot; and participation from private stakeholders, said Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO Representative in the Philippines.</p><p>&quot;A multisectoral approach is essential, and should provide supportive environments that encourage physical activity, restrict access to unhealthy foods and drinks, support mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months and to protect children from marketing influences,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;It is also important to ensure that policies and laws are fully implemented and protected from undue commercial interests,&quot; he said.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/05/14/18/fitness-inspiration-how-obese-teen-lost-over-200-lbs">Fitness inspiration: How obese teen lost over 200 lbs.</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1650106" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>The number of overweight Filipino adolescents has tripled in the last 15 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, Tuesday.</p>

The number of overweight Filipino adolescents has tripled in the last 15 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, Tuesday.