WORLD OBESITY AWARENESS 2025

Obesity is a global epidemic that affects both adults and children. The incidence of childhood obesity has risen globally particularly in the aftermath of the COVID 19 pandemic as a result of sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits during the pandemic lockdown. In Malaysia, a rise in the incidence of obesity was observed to be from 10.6% in 2012 to 14.3% in 2022 amongst adolescents aged 13-17 years. Childhood obesity often persists till adulthood. Obesity is linked to the development of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, fatty liver and hypertension. The increase in the burden of obesity globally has resulted in obese children being affected by these health complication even at an early age.

The first step in tackling childhood obesity is to recognize that obesity is a disease. Detection of childhood obesity can be done easily by measuring the body mass index (BMI) and comparing it to a normal reference BMI chart. Recent evidence has also recommended waist circumference measurement as it is more closely related to obesity complications. Young onset obesity before the age of 5 years in particular needs careful examination as hormonal and genetic causes also need to be ruled out.

Obese children who are more than 10 years of age should be screened for complications of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. Obesity management should not only involve the Paediatrician or Paedatric Endocrinologist, but management should be in collaboration with the dietician, physiotherapist and psychologist. In the obesity clinic, patients are educated on what constitutes a healthy diet in accordance to normal daily calorie requirement and the appropriate exercise regime for weight loss. Anti-obesity medications may also be used in selected patients when lifestyle invention fails, especially if obesity complications are present. For successful sustained weight management, the lifestyle modification should not only apply to the patient but also involve the whole family.  The recent launch of the Clinical Practice Guideline on obesity management in 2023 was part of the government’s efforts to provide a guide for health professionals to identify, screen and manage obesity.

As childhood obesity is a global phenomenon, efforts to combat obesity will not be successful if they are only limited to the healthcare setting. As the school environment is very much intertwined with a young person’s life, the provision of healthy nutritious food at school and incorporation of adequate physical activity, including extracurricular school activities, are very important to enable children to adopt a well- balanced healthier lifestyle. Health campaigns and screening are also important to increase awareness among the community and early detection of obesity complications.

In conclusion, the fight against obesity is not without challenges. Efforts to combat this global epidemic should not only involve the patients and health professionals, but more importantly require close collaboration with the family entity, community and governmental agencies.

Dr. Lee Yee Lin

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist

Pediatrics Department

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences

Universiti Putra Malaysia

Pediatric Endocrinology

yeelin@upm.edu.my

Date of Input: 12/03/2025 | Updated: 12/03/2025 | nadia_rahman