University of São Paulo: National Obesity Strategy Proposed by 25 Research Institutions to Ministry of Health
In a letter sent to authorities at the Ministry of Health, a network of 25 institutions, including researchers from the USP School of Public Health, proposes urgent actions to combat the obesity epidemic. The document, sent to the Ministry of Health, is an initiative of the Intersectoral Forum on Chronic Noncommunicable Conditions. Professor Cláudia Moreno, from the Department of Health and Society at the USP School of Public Health, is part of the initiative and explains the situation in detail.
The professor explains that the main reason the initiative took shape was to draw attention to the complex nature of obesity. “Obesity is a disease that leads to conditions that cause premature deaths. Cardiovascular diseases, stroke, hypertension, respiratory diseases. These diseases have behavioral risk factors that are considerably modifiable, so it is necessary to draw attention to the issue,” she explains.
In Brazil, this chronic disease has increased by 72% in the last thirteen years, reaching 20% of Brazilians in 2019, according to the Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (Abeso). Projections show that half of Brazilian children will suffer from an excessive body mass index (BMI) by 2035. “That is why this document warns about this issue, to pay attention to modifiable factors: inadequate diet, sedentary lifestyle, smoking, especially that which begins in childhood and adolescence. It is necessary to avoid these factors early in the individual’s life. From there, we can actually start promoting actions that are already guidelines for ordinances from the Ministry of Health itself,” he explains.
Greater cooperation
The specialist says that the document submitted proposes greater cooperation between state and municipal health departments and civil society oversight bodies. “The document does not add anything new to the guidelines that already exist. However, it draws attention to these guidelines, as they cannot be forgotten. This is somewhat what is happening. There is a discussion about obesity in which the topic becomes taboo, because there is obviously a stereotype and prejudice. This is something that needs to be addressed as well. The discussion ends up revolving only around combating prejudice, but the truth is that it is necessary to do both: it is necessary to not create a stereotype in relation to obesity, negative concepts, etc. However, it is also necessary to combat obesity. It is necessary to put these actions into practice and it is necessary to increase the number of teams, mechanisms and assistance.”
Cláudia Moreno also emphasizes that the problem is a global trend. “The World Health Organization itself released a document last year that actually issues this warning. It calls on countries to have a more efficient response to combat obesity in their health systems. What is this response for Brazil? It is to put these actions into practice to reduce the risk factors that lead to obesity. This reduction must be achieved through intersectoral action, which is why this document includes institutions, in addition to the public, private and non-governmental institutions. Because the idea is precisely to create a group of entities that can work to implement these actions to promote health and reduce obesity,” she concludes.