Aim:
Today, the World Health Organization warns that the greater future burden of
obesity and diabetes will affect developing countries with the extent doubling
with urbanization. Aside from the estimation that, currently, more than 1.6
billion (age 15+ years) adults are overweight and at least 400 million of them
are obese, it was also estimated that obesity is responsible for 2-6 % of the
total health care cost in several developed countries and some estimates put
the figure as high as 7%. The true costs are undoubtedly much greater as not
all obesity related conditions are calculated. Some developing countries aimed
to attain the millennium development goals (MDGs), which prospect the reduction
in rate of tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and infant mortality rates, and
childhood malnutrition, however little or nothing is done to curb the
increasing obesity epidemic and its accompanying non-communicable diseases
(NCDs) burden. The fact therefore is that, the developing countries’ health
sector garbled with the double burden of diseases from the threat of both NCDs
and infectious diseases.
Methodology: Literature search from PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar was conducted with the aim of highlighting the prospects in preventing and managing obesity epidemics in developing countries through evidence based multi-strategic, multi-dimensional and proactive approaches.
Results: Numerous established studies recommended that, beyond individual action, the government, schools, families, employers, media, medical practitioners, food producers, manu-facturers, wholesalers, retailers, caterers, transporters, urban planners and community groups could formulate and implement a multi-strategic intervention plans to promote healthy eating habits and regular physical activity as well as manage those already overweight to prevent future obesity.
Conclusion: There is therefore, the need for a less cost effective, multi-sectional, far reaching population based intervention plans by the key players of the health sector in such countries which should incorporate the need for regular exercising, good nutritional habits, bodyweight image assessment and reduced stigmatization of affected individuals.
Author(s) Details
Christopher E. Ekpenyong
Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Ernest Akpan
Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
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