Lebanese Ministry of Health launches national awareness campaign on obesity risks



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Beirut, Lebanon, July 2019: Under the high patronage and presence of the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Jamil Jibak, the Ministry of Public Health launched the National Awareness Campaign on Obesity Risk, under the slogan "Your health is unbearable, lose weight", at a press conference held in the conference room of the Ministry. Public health at the invitation of the ministry on Wednesday, July 31, 2019. The campaign was launched in the presence of representatives of organizations and badociations participating in the campaign and a host of specialists and members of the press and media.

Overweight and obesity are defined as medical conditions in which excess body fat accumulates abnormally or excessively and poses a risk to the health of an individual. According to various estimates, this situation affects between 18 and 32% of Lebanese society. A recent WHO report has listed nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa on the list of the world's highest obesity countries, with Lebanon ranking sixth after Kuwait. Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Libya.

The campaign aims to highlight the importance of raising awareness about obesity and to encourage obese or overweight people to consult a medical specialist to determine the causes of obesity and the most appropriate ways to treat it with dietitians who have achieved sustainable weight loss to improve their health. The Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with Novo Nordisk, the Society of Endocrinologists and the Lebanese Academy of Nutrition, launched the awareness campaign on the dangers of obesity and the importance of its prevention or treatment.

In this context, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Jamil Jabak, emphasized the importance of the national awareness campaign on the risks related to obesity. He presented campaign activities and future projects. He also said: "The national campaign we are launching today to raise awareness of the risks of obesity is conducted in cooperation with specialists and includes the distribution of educational materials. Field to measure BMI in several Lebanese areas where specialists and experts will answer people's questions and give them advice and guidance on obesity.

Dr. Akram Shetty, representative of the Lebanese Association of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Fats, said the launch of the national awareness campaign on obesity-related risks was meant to emphasize that the Obesity is a disease that constitutes a real danger to health and life. Leading to many chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, diseases of the spine and joint, psychological diseases and its impact negative on reproductive health, with an increased risk of certain types of malignant diseases. But all of these diseases can be reduced if we treat obesity in accordance with international health standards. It is also possible and more important to prevent and prevent obesity if we follow a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and eating healthy foods.

"Studies have shown that the scale of the problem lies in the fact that obesity is an option for a lifestyle resulting from a lack of willpower and a lack of motivation" said Tawfiq Eid, head of public affairs at Novo Nordisk. Hence the urgent need to recognize the risks of obesity at the governmental, clinical and general levels in order to transfer responsibility for the prevention and treatment of the individual to the group. On the economic and social level, obesity is not a new problem and society and its guarantors are mobilizing many resources to prevent and treat complications. Through this cooperation, our goal is to agree on a roadmap for integrated management of obesity because of its health and economic benefits, and especially for the health of the Lebanese patient.

Nahla Houla, Professor of Nutrition at the American University of Beirut and President of the Lebanese Association for Nutrition, stressed the importance of this campaign, stressing that the responsibility for curbing the progression of obesity lies with not only to the individual, but also to schools, universities, the private sector and educators. All diets in the country.

The new "Your Health is Affordable, Lose Weight" awareness campaign aims to raise public awareness of the risks of obesity by pointing out that it poses many health risks and that it can be cured or prevented, especially because the control of obesity can protect against many other diseases such as Diabetes for example. The importance of the campaign is that all public health actors join forces to control the epidemic.

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