Collaborations among multiple stakeholders across government, industry, academia and civil society sectors continues to be crucial in delivering programmes to improve nutrition and encourage healthier lifestyles in order to tackle obesity, one of the biggest public healthcare challenges of our time.
In an effort to tackle the growing burden of malnutrition around the region, the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN) brought together experts from government, academia, civil society and industry, for a dialogue session on Partnerships to Promote Healthy Eating and Active Lifestyle in Asia – held in partnership with the Responsible Business Forum on Sustainable Development 2017 in Singapore.
To invest in a better future, in which all forms of malnutrition are addressed, all stakeholders across multiple sectors must come to the table: by stepping out of their comfort zones to bring about change, focusing on concrete impact while building trust and creating win-win solutions, and ensuring usage of an inclusive and transparent data system, said Ms Gerda Verburg, Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations, and Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement.
To address the public healthcare burden of obesity, a paradigm shift in focus and strategies is needed, says Mr Matt Kovac, Food Industry Asia’s Executive Director. This includes more attention being placed on preventive measures, better education on healthy nutrition that leads to positive behaviour change, as well as multi-stakeholder partnerships and knowledge exchange.
The inaugural EAT Asia-Pacific Food Forum brought together leading stakeholders from government, industry, academia and civil society to assess the state of food systems, and discuss both innovative and sustainable solutions to improve food security, sustainable use of natural resources, and health and nutrition among populations in Asia.
On the occasion of World Obesity Day on 11 October 2017, ARoFIIN convener Food Industry Asia (FIA) reflects on the growing public health issue of obesity, and how partnerships between the public and private sectors can deliver successful outcomes to deal with the problem.
The Philippines battles a double burden of malnutrition – while obesity and overweight affect 18 million Filipinos and costs between four per cent and eight per cent of national healthcare spending, an estimated seven million children in the country still face hunger and under-nutrition. Consumer education, dietary and physical activity interventions among schoolchildren, and public-private partnerships are critical in addressing these challenges, says Dr Mario V. Capanzana.
Nutrition knowledge among Malaysians needs to be translated into action and practice, says Professor Dr Norimah A. Karim, Vice President of the Malaysian Association for the Study of Obesity (MASO). To tackle obesity, health education should start at a young age, in order to embed good dietary and physical activity habits in lifestyles.
To address the grave problem of obesity and related lifestyle diseases in Malaysia, government is working with the food industry, educational institutions and civil society, says Dr Chong Chee Kheong, Director of the Disease Control Division at the Ministry of Health Malaysia.
Malaysia, among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 6, has the highest obesity and overweight prevalence – 13.3 per cent and 38.5 per cent of the population, respectively. To address this public healthcare burden, a paradigm shift in focus and strategies, with more attention to preventive healthcare; consumer education; and multi-stakeholder partnerships and knowledge exchanges are needed, says Dr Tee E-Siong, President of the Nutrition Society of Malaysia.
To share lessons from significant progress in Thailand’s work to eliminate hunger and undernutrition in its country, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Mahidol University recently conducted the South-South Learning Workshop to Accelerate Progress to End Hunger and Nutrition for a range of stakeholders from Africa and Asia, in Bangkok, Thailand.
The newly released “Tackling obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact, and guidance on interventions” report states that across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), obesity rates vary widely depending on ethnic, genetic, regional and economic differences, as well as socio-economic drivers such as specific social and cultural norms.
