Improve access to nutritious food to help prevent overweight and obesity crisis, health group urges

The Healthy Philippines Alliance (HPA), a network of civil society organizations advocating for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), expressed concern over the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adults in the country and urged government to help make healthier food accessible to Filipinos, in line with the commemoration of World Obesity Day.

The HPA stated that poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity contribute to overweight and obesity, elevating the likelihood of developing NCDs such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and chronic kidney disease. Moreover, obesity established during childhood can endure into adulthood.

“Consuming an excessive amount of any food is detrimental to your health, leading to an increase in calorie intake and subsequent weight gain. Therefore, it is essential to be conscious of the calories required based on height and level of physical activity for adult and based on age for children. Furthermore, maintaining a well-balanced diet involves consuming appropriate portion sizes of macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein, and fats tailored to individual daily calorie needs,” said Jennina Duatin, a Registered Nutritionist Dietician who serves as Board of Trustee of Diabetes Philippines, an HPA member.

Duatin added, “An easy way to achieve a balanced diet is by following the ‘Pinggang Pinoy Plate Model’ where half of the plate should consist of fresh fruits and vegetables, a quarter should be filled with whole grains, and the remaining quarter should be dedicated to a healthy source of meat, fish, legumes, or seafood. Moderation, variety, and balance in food choices are key factors in preventing overweight and obesity.”

Furthermore, the problem behind overweight and obesity is worsened by the easy access to unhealthy food in the country where Filipinos, especially children, are frequently exposed to ultra-processed products (UPPs) that are cheaper and easier to prepare, and typically contain excessive amounts of sugar, sodium, and fats, the HPA added.

Therefore, the HPA has called on the government to increase access to affordable healthy food options and enact policies aimed at combating poor dietary habits among Filipinos, with the ultimate goal of reducing instances of overweight and obesity.

“Government agencies like the Department of Agriculture and local government units should align efforts to improve food security by ensuring that families have access to safe and quality nutritious food to help curb the overweight and obesity problem in our country,” said Maria Fatima Villena, Board of Trustees Member of The Policy Center, also a member of the HPA.

Villena continued, “Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages has reduced consumption, according to the FNRI, but consumption among high income households appears unaffected. So, we see the need to increase SSB taxes further and pair it with a policy mandating front-of-pack-labeling (FOPL) on pre-packaged food products so that consumers become well-informed and empowered to take charge of their health.”

Sadly, about 74% adolescents aged 13 to 15 eat less than three portions of vegetables per day, while 38% drink at least one softdrink per day, according to the 2015 Global School-based Health Survey by the World Health Organization.

Meantime, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Filipinos is at 40.2% among adults aged 20 to 59, 13% among adolescents aged 11 to 19, and 14% among school children 5 to 10 years old, according to the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) in 2021.

Globally, about 390 million children and 2.5 billion adults are overweight and obese, said the WHO.

Patricia Loren M. Reyes
Project Coordinator for Communications