President of the Turkish Obesity Research Association, Prof. Dr. Volkan Yumuk emphasized that one of the most important stakeholders in challenging obesity is health reporters who deliver accurate information to the public, and said that the social square also plays an important role in this.
Pointing out that efforts should be made to prevent obesity as well as its treatment, Yumuk said:
“While obesity rates in the general population were 22 percent in studies conducted 15-20 years ago, this rate reached 35 percent in recent studies. While a quarter of the population was obese, now a third has become obese. This is the same in Turkey and Europe. Our success in obesity treatment is not very good. Because we cannot use all the weapons and components we would use in treatment. Obesity treatment is a team effort. There are many stakeholders in this team, such as physicians, dietitians, exercise specialists, psychologists and bariatric surgeons. This introduces the concept of a regularly operating obesity center. In these centers, it is necessary to plan treatment according to the patient and, more importantly, to follow the patient throughout the treatment process. This is the same for treatments other than surgery and after bariatric surgery. This pursuit is for life. Unless you do this, the patient with obesity loses weight but cannot maintain it.”
“The main problem in obesity is poor nutrition and sedentary life”
Turkish Diabetes Foundation President Prof. Dr. Temel Yılmaz stated that the high technology developed in the 21st century provides people with a sedentary lifestyle and this brings obesity to the agenda.
Yılmaz said that when the body mass index is between 25-30, it is called overweight, when it is over 30, it is called obese, and when it is over 40, it is called morbidly obese, that is, morbidly obese. Yılmaz made the following statements:
“The whole world has begun to realize that we are faced with an obesity epidemic, especially in children, and that this is not an aesthetic problem but a serious disease. When we list the causes of death, they are obesity, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Obesity is the number one cause of death worldwide. Obesity is the underlying cause of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. On the medical side of obesity, metabolic diseases, nutrition and diabetes are inseparable. There should be no nutrition practice without a medical evaluation.
When we evaluate it medically, the main problem is malnutrition and the second is a sedentary life. The axis of all obesity-fighting programs is based on active living. The main reason here is to ensure that people have proper nutrition. The child goes to school. While he eats decent family meals at home, he gets fast food at school. These strategies need to change. There is no treatment for obesity without finding the underlying cause. "Proper nutrition strategies need to be created in the fight against obesity."
Source: AA