Laura Poy Solano
Newspaper La Jornada
Friday, March 4, 2022, p. fifteen
More than a thousand doctors and specialists signed a declaration with 10 fundamental actions to advance in the fight against obesity in Mexico, in which they call to recognize that obesity is a chronic, complex and multifactorial disease that requires patient-centered care.
In the context of World Obesity Day, which is commemorated on March 4, Simón Barquera Cervera, director of the Center for Research in Nutrition and Health of the National Institute of Public Health, stressed that Mexico faces a great challenge in the face of the silent pandemic of obesity and overweight facing the population.
For this reason, he called on the medical community and society to join this framework of action that includes 10 recommendations that help recognize this condition as a disease that is affected by genetic, physiological, hormonal, psychological, environmental, economic, cultural factors. social and commercial.
He warned that people with obesity should not be stigmatized and that society as a whole should work to improve the quality of treatments, and that these be accessible and based on the best scientific evidence. In addition to that they must be accompanied by psychological, behavioral, pharmacological and nutritional interventions, among others.
▲ Obesity treatment must be accompanied by psychological, behavioral, pharmacological and dietary interventions supported by the whole of society.Photo Notimex
Dore Castillo, a specialist on the subject, explained that schools are crucial spaces to protect the health of minors. However, she warned that although a rule has been in place since 2014 to regulate the sale of food on campus, there are still deficiencies in its application, since only 27 percent of the food they sell meets the standards established in the regulations in force.
To this is added, he added, that only 7 percent are healthy, such as fruits and vegetables, and non-sugar-sweetened beverages. He indicated that after the covid-19 pandemic, an increase in overweight and obesity has been reported in the country’s school population.
In this regard, Alejandro Calvillo, founder of the organization El Poder del Consumidor, said that the Ministry of Public Education has failed to fulfill its commitment to promote healthier eating in schools, despite the implementation of the healthy living subject, which, he stressed , does not have a study plan or evaluation of its results.
