สมาคมแพทย์ฟื้นฟูสุขภาพและส่งเสริมการศึกษาโรคอ้วน กรุงเทพ

THE WORLDWIDE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY HAS NEARLY TRIPLED SINCE 1975

Obesity is a complex public health challenge in which biological mechanisms interact with our modern way of life to influence an individual’s body weight.

If we are to support people living with obesity, and address the larger political and systemic drivers of the disease, it is time to adopt
a new narrative and philosophy in which understanding and respect for the individual are key. This involves:

Recognising the complex factors underlying the development of obesity.

Acknowledging the daily struggle people with obesity face, confronted by a world where biological, social and environmental forces negatively influence their ability to manage their body weight.

Understanding that obesity is a complex and chronic disease that requires both prevention and treatment strategies to bring under control while addressing the wider obesogenic environment.

Only by recognising obesity as a chronic disease can systems adequately prioritise and fund its effective prevention and treatment to reduce the burden on the individual as well as on society. This requires changing the language of obesity and its framing within systems and policies.