'HK People Should See Obesity As An Illness'

Doctors have called on Hong Kong people to start seeing obesity as a disease, after they found that many have been ignoring the problem.

The Association for the Study of Obesity polled 1,000 people over the phone last October, and found that almost 45 percent of them didn't think that being obese is an illness, even though the World Health Organisation recognised obesity as a disease more than two decades ago.

The survey also found that many people don't know how to assess if they're overweight or not.

Almost 43 percent think it's only about their weight, and only around 30 percent correctly pointed out that it is related to one's body mass index and waistline.

Many male participants were also found to have underestimated their weight.

Dr Vincent Yeung from the association said some men mistakenly think being fat means they are stronger, and some are too busy making ends meet to take care of their health.

Another member of the association, Dr Kitty Cheung, said they are not aware that their health is already at risk, and this could add to the burden on the public healthcare system.

She said some of them already had illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, or fatty liver.

“A lack of awareness in these patients carries excess risk for our healthcare [system]. Because when they get diagnosed later on, they would have to get a lot of resources from our public healthcare system to manage these diseases,” Cheung said.

The group also said data from the Centre for Health Protection showed the number of people considered to be obese is on the rise.

The organisation said obesity is linked to many chronic illnesses, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. It urged the government to enhance promotion and education to increase awareness, and said the public should ensure they have a healthy diet.