President of the Romanian College of Physicians Catalina Poiana on Wednesday pleased for the establishment of a national programme for combating and the 'appropriate' management of obesity in both adults and children, given that prevalence among adults stands at approximately 40% and among children it is above the global average.
Poiana took part in the conference 'Obesity in Romania. Challenges and effective intervention strategies,' part of the project 'Marathon in the fight against obesity.'
'Obesity is indeed a real public health problem, it is a disease and must be managed as such. Data on the prevalence of obesity have increased worryingly in recent years and, in the case of our country, we are speaking of an obesity prevalence among adults of approximately 40%, while overweight and obesity among Romania's adult population account for around 70%,' the doctor said.
According to the president of the Romanian College of Physicians, as regards obesity in children, the figures are even above the global average, with currently more than 300,000 children aged between 5 and 9 and over 460,000 children aged between 9 and 10 living with overweight and obesity.
'These figures concern us, but what concerns us most is the rate at which the prevalence of obesity in children is increasing. This is why this year's World Obesity Atlas (...) focuses on childhood obesity, because the prevalence of obesity in childhood is rising at a far more alarming rate than adult obesity. The new atlas shows that childhood obesity has increased in prevalence from around 4% in 1975 to 20% in 2022. With regard to childhood obesity in Romania, the figures are close to or above the global average, with currently more than 300,000 children aged between 5 and 9 and over 460,000 children aged between 9 and 10 living with overweight and obesity, percentages that are expected to rise in the coming years,' Catalina Poiana explained.
Obesity and a high body mass index can be preventable causes of mortality in the main chronic non-communicable diseases, she pointed out, adding that prevention, especially among children, must be strengthened.
Health education must become a priority and should be introduced in schools, as lifestyle changes, particularly in childhood, are extremely important, the President of the Romanian College of Physicians added.
'We are talking about cardiovascular complications, metabolic complications, respiratory complications such as sleep apnoea syndrome, osteoarticular complications, gastrointestinal complications and, very importantly, a series of complications that may have received less attention, namely the risk of cancer associated with excess weight. Given the current figures, obesity is considered one of the main preventable causes of cancer among non-smokers. We are here to draw attention to the risks posed by obesity and to support the establishment of a national programme providing for the combating and appropriate management of obesity in both adults and children,' Poiana said.
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