March 4 is designated as “World Obesity Day” and was organized in 2015 by the World Obesity Federation, a non-profit body which is in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and is a collaborating body on the Lancet Commission on Obesity.
It is established as an annual campaign with the goal of stimulating and supporting practical solutions that will help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight, undertake proper treatment, and reverse the global obesity crisis.
According to the WHO new release, obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975 and increased almost five times in children and adolescents, affecting people of all ages from all social groups in both developed and developing countries. Obesity is a major risk factors for various non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and various forms of cancer.
This year's slogan for World Obesity Day is “Everybody needs to act”.
People with obesity are constantly shamed and blamed because of their appearance, yet obesity has different roots. Dietary, lifestyle, genetic, psychological, sociocultural, economic and environmental factors are just some roots that causes obesity. It is time to break the cycle of shame and blame, and reevaluate the approach for addressing this critical global public health problem.
