Lifestyle, social and emotional factors need to be addressed as part of a proactive strategy to tackle obesity, according to an international expert.
Speaking during a session on “Better Health at Any Weight – the Obesity Epidemic” held at the Middle East Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare last week, US-based Kaiser Permanente senior vice-president Alide Chase said healthcare organisations needed to fully understand the sources of the obesity epidemic before it can be
successfully treated.
The forum, which was hosted by HMC in collaboration with the US Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), provided a platform, help to build momentum and facilitate the premier gathering of people committed to improving quality and patient safety in healthcare in the region.
Qatar’s National Health Strategy has targeted the rising levels of obesity in the country as an imperative.
The country also has one of the highest per capita rates of type 2 diabetes in the world with the International Diabetes Federation ranking it fifth globally in terms of diabetes prevalence among people in the age group of 20 to 79 years.
Stating that a complete paradigm shift was needed, Chase highlighted the need to tackle obesity proactively by treating its symptoms.
“Research tells us that genetics and medical care account for less than 40% of the factors that shape healthcare issues like obesity. Personal behaviour and socio-economic factors significantly shape our health. We need to
address these factors head on,” she said.
Chase stated that one of the largest contributors to obesity in the US is the supersizing of portions, otherwise known as portion distortion.
According to her, portion sizes served in many American restaurants have increased by more than 35% in the last 20 years and said that governments and healthcare organisations must join together to address the source of the problem and not just focus on the
problem’s symptoms.
“Growing portion sizes have changed what we consider to be a normal
portion,” Chase said.
Highlighting a number of weight management initiatives that have been successful in some American states, such as walking meetings, food policies that eliminate the sale of high fat and high sugar foods in school and hospital cafeterias and the offering of discounts at sports clubs, Chase added that treating obesity is a long-term
commitment.
The session was one of more than 20 different workshops, learning labs and seminars attended by more than 2,500 healthcare professionals.
Topics covered during the three-day event included measuring for improvement, high reliability healthcare, the concept of innovation in a healthcare setting and reducing avoidable hospital readmissions.