ROAD – RECOGNISING OBESITY AS A DISEASE

Did you Know
Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.​ In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.​
Did you Know
39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.​ 41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2016.​ Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.​​
Did you Know
India is world’s most obese nation after the USA and China. In childhood (0-16 years) obesity, 15 percent of Indian children and obese.
Did you Know
Only 28 percent of the total population know the scientific definition of obesity and the health hazards associated with it.

 

Disease or Disorder?

While disorder is a derangement or abnormality of function; a morbid physical or mental state​, a disease is defined as a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. A disease may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown.​

Obesity a Disease

The three essential characteristics of disease: (a) an impairment of the normal functioning of some aspect of the body; (b) that has characteristic signs or symptoms; and (c) results in harm or morbidity to the entity affected. Obesity meets these 3 conditions. Thus, recognizing obesity as a disease is the need of the hour.

Initiatives by UDF

AMA has already recognized Obesity as a chronic disease; project ROAD aims at creating awareness at multiple levels in India. Obesity is killing the world; and this isn’t any exaggeration. The most common diseases linked to obesity include Cancer, Infertility, Back pain, Arthritis, Diabetes, Stroke and Heart diseases.