15 September 2005
The Department of Health (DH) is taking the lead to tackle the problem of obesity as over 20 per cent of the Hong Kong population aged 15 or above were found to obese.
The Population Health Survey, which covered more than 7 000 people aged 15 or above, was commissioned by the DH in 2003/04. It found that 22.3 per cent of the male interviewees and 20 per cent of the female interviewees were obese.
Releasing the findings of the survey today (September 15), Senior Medical Officer of the DH's Central Health and Education Unit (CHEU), Dr Ho Mei-lin said obesity is a condition in which the body stores an excessive amount of fat to such an extent that health may be adversely affected.
"Obesity does not only lead to an array of serious health risks including cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and certain kinds of cancer, but also poses significant social and economic burden to the community," Dr Ho said.
The survey also showed another 20.1 per cent of the male interviewees and 15.9 per cent of the female interviewees were overweight.
Dr Ho said people will be considered as overweight if their Body Mass Index (BMI) reaches 23 or above, and people with a BMI of 25 or above is considered obese. The BMI can be calculated using the formula below:
Body weight (kg) / Body Height (m)2
The World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office recommends a lower BMI cutoff point for defining obesity in the Asian population to better identify the high risk group.
Dr Ho stated that overweight and obesity were commonly found among people aged 45-54 and 55-64.
Findings of the survey were contained in a thematic report compiled by the CHEU "Tackling Obesity: Its Causes, the Plight and Preventive Actions" .
"With the compilation of this report, we hope to arouse public awareness of the problem of obesity and to encourage health promotion organizations and community groups to adopt evidence-based initiatives in the management of obesity and overweight," Dr Ho said.
"The report can also facilitate planning and development of strategies for tackling obesity by adopting a healthy lifestyle which was necessary and essential to address the problem of obesity.
"The DH is committed to taking the lead and working closely with other government departments, non-governmental organizations, health professionals, academic institutions and interested parties to tackle obesity through a variety of health education and promotion programmes within the community," she said.
Some of these programmes including the "2 Plus 3" Campaign to promote fruits and vegetables in daily meals, the Stair Climbing Campaign to promote physical exercise, the Exercise Prescription Project and the promulgation of a Food Pyramid tailor-made for local population have already been put in place.
A pilot study to promote fruits and vegetables among primary school students is also in progress.
Details of the reports can be obtained at the CHEU website (http://www.cheu.gov.hk/files/professional/Obesity_EN.pdf) and at the Centre for Health Protection website (http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/grp-pmpdb-obesity_en.pdf).