A Philippine lawyer expresses concern about obesity as research shows 41% of adults are overweight
A lawmaker in the Philippines on Monday raised the alarm about the country’s obesity problem, following a recent study that found nearly 41% of the Philippines’ 72 million adults – translating to 29.5 million people – are considered overweight or obese.
“Forty-one percent is very scary. I was surprised because I never expected it to be so high,” said Janette L. Garin, Deputy Speaker and representative of the first district of Iloilo, responding to the findings of the Epidemiological Burden and Cost of Obesity in the Philippines (EpiCOb-PH), which was also released that day during the multi-sectoral.
The study was led by Dr. Madeleine de Rosas-Valera and funded by Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical (Philippines) Inc. It also found that more than four out of 10 Filipino adults are already at increased risk of obesity-related health problems.
Ms. Garin said the study’s findings are “an alarm bell and a red flag for our country,” noting that Filipinos currently face high out-of-pocket health care costs, while public health care spending is largely directed toward curative care instead of preventive care.
The representative of Iloilo said it is time for the government to work together to solve the problem of obesity by providing the right information to schools and communities.
Ms. Garin pledged to push for programs and budget allocations for health to reduce the number of obese Filipinos to about 10% from 41%, noting that such a persistently high number would be a “bad legacy for the country.”
Meanwhile, he told BusinessWorld that he is looking to include lessons on misleading food marketing that contributes to obesity in the school curriculum. Mrs. Garin said he will pursue this through legislation or through the power of the lower house of oversight.
“Pwede siyang seshen sa curriculum, we must first guide the parents and teachers because when it starts, we must let them know what they are eating or what they are eating. [It can be included in the curriculum. We have to start orienting parents and teachers because that is where it begins. We have to let them know what they are feeding their children or what they themselves are eating],” said Ms. Garin on the sidelines of the presentation of the EpiCOb-PH study.
Regarding the recent campaign to amend the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act to increase taxes on sugary drinks and include sugary milk that was released earlier, Ms. Garin said tax negotiations are difficult to conduct amid ongoing global economic challenges.
“Napaka-mahirap na tumbukin natin ang tax especially when it is related to food [It is very difficult to directly raise taxes, especially when it relates to food],” said Ms. Garin.
“Perhaps we can talk about the tax in the future but now, if we talk about the future, it will have a big impact on the economy. [Maybe we can discuss taxation the future, because for now, if we talk about that, it might have a bigger impact on the economy later],” he added.
The representative also said that the lower house could look at other ways to prevent obesity, such as imposing penalties on unhealthy food and making measures to raise public awareness about food that contributes to obesity.
The EpiCOb-PH study was conducted to address a gap in research on the prevalence of obesity and the economic burden in the country. It used a modeling approach that combined multiple sources of national data.
The researchers used data from the National Nutrition Survey and the Expanded National Nutrition Survey from 1993 to 2023 to estimate current and future trends in obesity, and its impact on health.
TRILLION-PESO Cost of obesity
The EpiCOb-PH study also found that obesity is estimated to cost the Philippines an estimated P1.9 trillion by 2025, equivalent to 7.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for that year. The cost may rise to P2.7 trillion when obesity-related costs are included.
Of the total costs, P551 billion is caused by health care costs, which can reach P790 billion if cases of obesity are included.
These include direct medical costs such as hospitalization, based on a standard rate assuming that patients are diagnosed and treated according to medical guidelines.
Non-medical expenses were also taken into account, amounting to P165.39 billion, including expenses such as transportation.
Productivity losses, including missed workdays due to obesity-related conditions, are estimated at P1.17 trillion.
The cost of obesity was calculated using a cost-of-illness model that integrated findings from previous epidemiological studies, Dr. John Paul Caesar delos Trinos, chief scientific officer and principal at metaHealth Insights and Innovations Inc., the consulting agency that organized the forum, said.
The analysis was also supported by secondary data, including published literature, internet resources, and expert consultations.
To curb the economic costs of obesity, Mr. delos Trinos said food warning labels could be improved to show higher levels of fat-causing ingredients such as fat, sugar and salt.
Meanwhile, he urged the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to include obesity in its primary care package, YAKAP.
In government offices and workplaces, he also suggested that health programs be included for employees.
“This cannot be handled by one institution or one sector. It cannot just be researchers who conduct studies, publish them, and call it a day. This will really require collaboration between different sectors,” said Mr. delos Trinos when he delivered his speech in mixed English and Filipino. – Edg Adrian A. Eva
