1 out of 4 Pinoy adults fat – survey
By Kristine Servando – The number of overweight Filipinos are increasing, according to a nationwide survey by the Food and Nutrition Research Foundation (FNRI).
The FNRI study, recently published in full, found that 27 out of 100 Filipinos aged 20 and above are overweight (23.9%), 2 out of 10 children aged 5 years old and below are overweight (1.4%), while 2 out of every 100 children aged 6 to 10 are overweight as well (1.3%).
The nutritional study, conducted in 2003, found that the prevalence of obesity has been increasing since 1998.
Being overweight or obese can lead to lifestyle diseases like cancer, heart problems, and diabetes.
FNRI director Mario Capanzana said the rise in overweight Filipinos can be attributed to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle or when a person lacks exercise.
Capanzana said other lifestyle factors can contribute to being overweight like skipping breakfast, frequent snacking or eating, consuming larger portions of food, frequent consumption of fast food, or pure laziness.
Obesity is more frequent among females than males, the study found. One in every 2 women (54.8%) aged 20 years old and above classified as obese.
There was a 70% increase in obesity among Filipinas, from 10.7% to 18.3% between 1998 and 2003. The study also found there are more overweight Filipinos in higher income households than lower income ones.
Fatty eating
The FNRI noted that a decrease in the consumption of fruits and vegetables and the increase in Filipinos’ consumption of meat and fatty or oily foods could be behind the higher incidence of lifestyle diseases like high cholesterol.
Hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol) among adults in 2003 was twice as much as in 1998, and there was also a “significant increase” in the incidence of elevated LDL cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol) among Filipinos.
The FNRI study noted that the change in Filipinos’ eating habits from healthy to more fatty foods could be explained by the increase in food commodity imports for processed foods.
These include processed meat (hotdogs, hamburgers, or meatloaf), frozen potatoes or french fries, and colas or sugary beverages.
These data were presented at the launch of the results of the 6th National Nutrition Surveys (NNS), conducted by the FNRI in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology.
Partial results of the survey series were presented in 2008. The survey covers 4,753 people from 2,636 randomly selected households nationwide.
Less are underweight?
At the same time, the study found that the prevalence of undernutrition among Filipinos of all ages has been generally decreasing.
In 2003, only 27% or 3 million children (aged 5 and below) were found to be underweight for their age, compared to 72% or about 8 million children (aged 5 and below) who had normal nutritional status.
The study found that 97% of Filipino households consume foods with the “Sangkap Pinoy Seal”, placed on food products that are required to be fortified or added with micronutrients, as provided for in the Food Fortification Act of 2000.
However, only 16% of households know what a “Sangkap Pinoy Seal” means. Fortified food include sugar, cooking oil, flour, rice, fruit juices, fish and meat products, instant noodles, cheese, and biscuits.
The FNRI surveys found that the most commonly consumed fortified foods, labeled with the “Sangkap Pinoy Seal”, are instant noodles and sardines.
Further, 80% of households or mothers said they are aware of iodized salt – believed to alleviate iodine deficiency – but only 38% actually use it.
Despite this, more than half of households surveyed (56.4%) had salt found to contain iodine.
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