Obesity was barely recognized as a problem in the Philippines in the early part of the 90's; surely not because it is non-existent in this part of the world but because doctors & other health providers show not much interest in this issue. In 1994, the Philippine Association for the study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO) was organized to address the growing global problem of this condition which has been noted to affect the Filipino people.
"There are an estimated 500,000 Filipinos suffering from clinically significant obesity. It is especially alarming to note that some of these patients are very young," says Dr. Hildegardes C. Dineros, main proponent, Asian Bariatrics, an advocacy group committed to create awareness on the problem of obesity.
National statistics on malnutrition show under nutrition as a major problem of developing countries like the Philippines. However, this is fast changing. As Filipinos adopt more of the western lifestyle and diet as ...
