Summary: with regard to the International Forum on obesity and habits of healthy living, Thursday, May 23, Senator and physician Jorge Ballesteros presents a worrisome x-ray, figures in hand, on the costs of this disease to the health system and calls for government action to prevent rates to continue rising. Regulation of the law of obesity problems warns.
By: JORGE BALLESTEROS BERNIER, MD, President seventh Senate Committee
No longer do most alerts, it is a reality. We face a true global pandemic that affects increasingly more the quality of life of billions of people worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization (who), more than 1 billion people in the world suffer from overweight - paradoxically, almost the same number of people suffering from famine - and, approximately, 300 million are obese. If corrective measures are not taken, warns who, it could be the 1500 million in 2015. About 2.6 million people die each year from obesity and overweight. Today there are 42 million children (almost the population of Colombia), suffering from overweight and obesity. These children are soaring likely to become obese adults and suffer various diseases resulting from this problem to early age.
Obesity and overweight, are diseases that stem from changes in the cultural and economic patterns of today's world. We live in a society that increasingly makes less physical activity and who is Dazed by advertising affecting consumer habits and, without a doubt, the food sector is no stranger to this. All of the above, increases the chances of more people to increase their fatty tissues in dangerous form, increasing the risk of cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, diabetes, cancer, among others. WHO maintains that these diseases are responsible for 63% of the total number of deaths that occur in the world, and that they not only affect health, but sufferers face social problems linked to discrimination.
How are Colombia on this issue? The situation is worrying, according to data from the survey of the nutritional situation in Colombia of 2010, one of every two Colombians from 18 to 64 years is overweight, so the rate fell from 45.9 in 2005 to 52.2 in 2010. At the same time, it also reveals that one in six children and adolescents between 0 and 17 years have this situation. Happiness survey also points out that healthy habits are little disclosed within the Colombian population.
What has been done to counteract this problem? Different entities from the national Government, such as: Ministry of health, Ministry of education and Coldeportes, ICBF, among others, have designed policies to promote changes in the behaviour of Colombians. Organizations such as Funcobes, have promoted preventive campaigns to attract the attention of the Government and citizenship, in favour of targeting actions to address this situation. In 2009, it passed, product of a broad debate in the Congress, the 1355 law that recognizes obesity as a public health problem. Although at this time there are some decrees and several government actions that have had as reference the 1355 law, i.e. that this law still has been unregulated integrally. Another important aspect to keep in mind, is that the majority of people who are overweight or obese are not handled as adequate, well because the majority of EPS does not have "programs" for them either because guides comprehensive care of obesity, are not designed task that must be performed Colciencias.
The foregoing shows that you required a major decision on the part of public authorities to develop policies and encourage changes in the health system.
Now, this is a problem whose solution involves everyone. This is not a task that only relates to him to the health system or the State, needs to work in the private sector, Academy, citizens, etc. Firstly, multisectoral policies that directly address this issue are needed. Secondly, a commitment on the part of the industrial and commercial sector of food and the media is needed to promote good eating habits and physical. And thirdly, people should be aware about the risks of being overweight and change their patterns of behavior toward ones that guarantee them good health.
This is an issue of great importance which poses serious challenges to Governments to formulate public policies to deal with what will surely constitute one of the most serious problems in the field of health, in the coming decades. It is therefore a matter that should be priorities in the national health agenda. We can't wait to get obesity levels of countries such as Mexico, which has a rate of overweight and obesity estimated at 70% and whose costs to serve these pathologies amounted in 2008 to nearly 3,500 million dollars and it is estimated that this figure exceeds the 8.o00 million dollars for 2017. It is still time take corrective measures and prevent the problem will increase, but is required to make decisions fast and successful.
To the Congress of the Republic is of great relevance generate discussions to find solutions. In that sense, will be held on 23 May, an international forum on obesity, in its facilities. In that order, we invite you to the academic community, medical, scientific, associations of patients, etc., to participate and share us their points of view to enrich the debate.