EDITORIAL: Rising obesity in Pakistan has emerged as a formidable and urgent threat, demanding immediate efforts to mitigate its impact on the nation’s well-being. This was emphasised in some detail at an event held recently under the aegis of the Pakistan National Heart Association (Panah) where health experts dwelt on the devastating effects of obesity on the population and an already creaking health system.
With an alarming 40 percent of adult Pakistanis currently overweight, we are faced with some grave consequences, ranging from an increased healthcare burden to potential economic strains, as well as an adverse impact on individual well-being and the broader societal framework.
Obesity can be very rightly described as the mother of all diseases, contributing towards a spectrum of health problems, including non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular illnesses, hypertension, diabetes and elevated cholesterol levels.
As pointed out by participants at the event, six in 10 deaths in the country can be attributed to non-communicable diseases, just going to show the extent of damage obesity has already inflicted on the populace. A major consequence of an overweight population has also been a distressing rise in the number of diabetes patients, with the country having the third highest number of diabetic individuals in the world. In percentage terms, Pakistan comes out on top.
The prevalence of obesity-related health conditions has placed a considerable demand on our already inadequate medical facilities, as well as intense pressure on healthcare practitioners. For a resource-stressed country like ours, therefore, it is imperative that our health-related policies are geared towards providing quality primary healthcare where the focus is on prevention of diseases rather than just on the curative aspect.
While the need for big tertiary care hospitals cannot be ignored for a huge population like ours, policymakers would do well to realise that the need for such large-scale medical establishments could be curbed if a multifaceted approach concentrated on guarding against the spread of disease is adopted.
In this regard, it is very important to reduce consumption of certain food items, specifically ultra-processed food and sweet drinks that have directly contributed towards increased obesity. It should be noted that children are increasingly becoming addicted to such items, leading to not only an increased prevalence of childhood obesity but also ensuring that future generations will continue to deal with serious ailments if this situation is not rectified.
According to data provided by Panah, a daily average of 2,100 deaths can be attributed to the consumption of ultra-processed food and sweet beverages. This should be enough for policymakers to declare a health emergency.
Pakistan would do well to pay heed to Singapore’s approach where advertising for unhealthy drinks with high sugar content was banned in 2019, making it the first country in the world to do so.
If not an outright ban, at least certain restrictions on advertising of such products must definitely be considered. One should also note that Singapore also requires a front-of-pack nutrition label on sugary drinks that lists their nutritional quality and sugar content, something that should be emulated here as well.
It should be clear that investing in obesity prevention can yield long-term benefits for the nation’s well-being while also ensuring that our health infrastructure remains adequately equipped to meet the country’s healthcare needs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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