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Indonesia’s stubborn obesity
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Obesity is a worldwide problem. (Shutterstock/File)
T
he most apparent epidemiological challenge facing doctors all over the world today is arguably obesity. While increasingly recognized as a public health priority in developed countries, such as the United States, few studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of obesity and related metabolic parameters in Indonesia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been sounding the alarm about obesity since the 1990s, warning developing countries of escalating obesity rates paradoxically coexisting with malnutrition.
Perhaps our only insight into the extent of the condition in Indonesia comes from the 2007 Basic Health Research, which reports a national adult obesity rate of 23.1 percent.
The obesity rate among women was found to be significantly higher than among men. Rates in children and adolescents and differences across ethnic groups have yet to be examined.
