Society, industry and government must fight together against obesity and overweight: WHO

It's Time to Act is a report recently published by an independent commission of experts from World Health Organization (WHO), in which it calls governments to take urgent measures to combat noncommunicable diseases. Thus, the report urges the public sector, industry, academia, civil society and the community to work together to counter the effects of overweight and obesity.

" We agree with the WHO, It is time to act and intensify efforts to counter the increase in obesity and overweight, as the WHO says, the discussion must go beyond the role of industry.We call for dialogue, so that everyone can get together.public sector, governments, organizations of civil society and universities, define the best ways to reduce obesity rates in the country, according to our roles and responsibilities, " states Camilo Montes director of the House of the food industry of ANDI

For the WHO, work in collaboration with food and non-alcoholic beverage companies, in areas such as reformulation, l & # 39; labeling and regulation of marketing to find viable routes and effective strategies for Reduced rates of obesity and overweight in the country are key. In fact, the organization even encourages countries to resort to dialogue with other industries because it considers that problems such as obesity and overweight are related to multifactorial causes.

For the organization, the exchange of experiences and problems of more effective normative models, as well as constructive interaction with the private sector, are the most viable ways to find solutions to the increase in obesity and overweight in the world and to the discussions that are taking place today around the type of clear and truthful labeling for consumers, and to the regulations around the marketing and reformulation of products.

On the basis of the "health first" principle, WHO urges countries to develop cost-effective, affordable and science-based priorities for noncommunicable diseases and to take advantage of new technologies available for The population has tools that allow it to be healthier.

"It is necessary to apply intersectoral approaches because, as indicated by the national survey on nutrition education (ENSIN) carried out in 2015 in Colombia , multifactorial that depends on the diet, physical activity and other aspects of the lifestyles that must be addressed in the defined strategy, "adds Montes.

THE ENSIN 2015, released in November 2017, found that children From 5 to 12 years old, only 31.1% of them comply with the recommendations of physical activity in schoolchildren. 4 years, 61.9% of them spend too much time in front of kindergarten screens Only 13.4% of Colombian adolescents comply with the recommendations of physical activity. on different fronts of action and together it is possible to build multilevel strategies ifactorials that fight obesity and overweight in the country.

Among the proposed strategies, WHO points out that countries are lagging behind in implementing strategies. and, consequently, in achieving the results that contribute to achieving the third goal of sustainable development in 2020: ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all at all ages. Noncommunicable diseases are one of the major obstacles to global health and development, which is why it urges countries and industries to work for the health of the world's citizens.