Watch your waistline, health official tells women

MANILA, Philippines—Don’t take your vital statistics lightly. They might tell you the state of your health.

Filipino women with waistlines more than 31.5 inches and men with girths bigger than 34 in. are the most vulnerable to lifestyle-related diseases, such as heart and vascular illnesses, diabetes, obesity and kidney ailments, according to a health official.
The growing number of Filipinos afflicted with these diseases is largely due to the increased intake of high energy but nutrient-poor foods, including those that are high in fat, sugar and sodium, said Prescilla Cuevas, chief health program officer of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

“If we belong to this vulnerable group, there is already a need to take a look at our lifestyle and our dietary intake,” Cuevas said.

Hypertension

Records from the Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s (FNRI) national nutrition survey showed a steady increase in the number of Filipinos with hypertension, from 21 percent in 1998 to 25.3 percent in 2008.

Citing the study, Cuevas noted that as of three years ago, at least 4.8 percent of the country’s population has been monitored to have high blood sugar, up from 3.4 percent in 2003. More than one-fourth of the population was already overweight, she said.

Physical inactivity was also among the contributing factors to the rising count of Filipinos who put on more weight and who had expanding girths, she said.

An inactive lifestyle has been associated with heart disease, inflammatory illness, insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and diabetes, she added.

The 2008 FNRI study indicated that 76.3 percent of Filipino men were sedentary in their jobs; 93.8 percent in their travel; and 89.9 percent in their leisure time.

It also indicated that 76.2 percent to 95.7 percent of Filipino women were sedentary in their work, travel and leisure activities.

Intervention

Cuevas said the prevalence of lifestyle-related illnesses, the leading causes of death in the country, was an indication that a large-scale public health intervention was imperative.

“There must be dietary modifications and interventions that would cause smoke cessation and alcohol moderation, and increased physical activity even among young adults,” she said.