Early prevention of obesity: Experts demand clear measures!

Early prevention of obesity: Experts demand clear measures!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - On March 4, the obesity day will be celebrated worldwide, and experts are calling for urgent measures for the early prevention of this chronic illness. Kurt Widhalm, President of the Austrian Academic Institute for Nutritional Medicine, emphasizes that obesity is not just a lifestyle problem, but a serious illness. "Everything has to be set that there is no disease," he explains. In view of the dramatically increasing rates of obesity in the population, a comprehensive effort of everyone involved is necessary in order to counteract this epidemic, such as ots.at reported.

A central problem in the current health system is the lack of prevention measures. Johannes Steinhart, President of the Austrian Medical Association, points out that less than one percent of health expenditure flow into real prevention, while the follow -up costs are enormous due to treatment and treatment failure. "The cash register does not pay any medication, but from a certain BMI it pays surgical interventions," criticizes Steinhart. This situation shows that it is time to act preventively. Widhalm demands that prevention must begin in childhood. Successful projects such as the Eddy program in Viennese elementary schools have already shown positive results by stimulating children to healthier lifestyles, according to Widhalm.

A holistic approach is necessary

It is essential that prevention work is considered holistically. Widhalm emphasizes that in addition to nutrition, psychological and physiological factors for the health of the children must also be taken into account. "It's not enough to just say: 'Eat less!'", He adds. In order to take effective measures, the personal history of every child must be considered. The goal is to promote motivation for movement by offering suitable physical activities. According to Widhalm, the definition and diagnosis of obesity should also be differentiated in order to be able to control the treatment in a targeted manner.

The appeal is clear: politics is required to create the necessary framework conditions in order to increase the prevention of obesity. It takes more projects that bring children, parents and experts together to enable a sustainable change in the health of the next generation. This is not only crucial for individual health, but also for future expenditure in the healthcare system, which can be relieved noticeably through extensive prevention, such as oeaie.org