Obesity

Obesity is one of the most serious global public health challenges of the 21st century, affecting every country in the Western Pacific Region. Obesity in adulthood is a major risk factor for the world’s leading causes of poor health and early death including cardiovascular disease, several common cancers, diabetes and osteoarthritis. Preventing obesity has direct benefits for health and wellbeing, in childhood and continuing into adulthood.

Overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. In adults, a body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese. In children aged between 5–19 years, overweight is BMI-for-age greater than 1 standard deviation above the WHO Growth Reference median; and obesity is greater than 2 standard deviations above the WHO Growth Reference median. In children under 5 years of age, overweight is weight-for-height greater than 2 standard deviations above WHO Child Growth Standards median.

Prevalence of overweight and obesity continue to grow in children and adults across countries in the Region.  The epidemic has been growing most rapidly in lower-middle income and middle-income countries particularly in the Pacific island countries and areas. Although most countries are still off-track to meet the 2025 targets, many are taking action, and some have achieved a levelling-off in childhood obesity rates.

Most countries in the Region are off track in achieving the global targets of halting overweight and obesity in children and adults. Obesity prevention requires action throughout the life course, starting before birth.

• Good nutrition in early life is crucial to lifelong health, and breastfeeding is recognized to protect against childhood obesity. For infants and young children, exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by appropriate complementary feeding with continued breastfeeding for up to 2 years and beyond are recommended. These support not only reducing the risk of undernutrition and obesity but also to ensure optimal growth.
• For older children and adults, healthy eating habits such as limiting energy intake from total fats and sugars, increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts, and engaging in regular physical activity may prevent obesity.
• Supportive environments and communities are fundamental in shaping people’s choices. By making the choice of healthier foods and regular physical activity the easiest choice (the choice that is the most accessible, available and affordable), overweight and obesity may be prevented. Key actions to improve healthy environments include regulating food marketing to children, nutrition labelling, fiscal policy, school nutrition policies, actions to support the early food environments, and promoting physical activity.
  

WHO continues to support Member States in their efforts to address obesity in the Region. This includes technical support for the implementation of the "Regional action framework on protecting children from the harmful impact of food marketing in the Western Pacific". The Framework aims to support Member States to implement actions that effectively protect children from the marketing of food high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars or salt, and protect caregivers from the marketing of breast-milk substitutes and inappropriate promotion of foods for infants and young children.

Additionally, WHO support Member States through the "Regional action framework for noncommunicable disease prevention and control in the Western Pacific". The Framework calls on governments to implement evidence-based, cost-effective policies and reorient their health systems to transform the current “sick system” to a “health system” where societies build health-enabling environments and health systems become more people-centred, accompanying individuals throughout their lives.