To raise awareness of obesity — a condition where a person has accumulated so much body fat that it could have a negative effect on their health — Al Wakra Hospital (AWH) will host a three-day event from today in observance of this year’s World Anti-Obesity Day.
“Obesity can occur due to both genetic and environmental causes and it is a major risk for developing serious diseases, including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and infertility,” says Dr Mohamed El Sherif, Bariatric Endocrinologist at Bariatric Surgery Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
He explains that unhealthy eating habits like consuming fast food and lack of physical activity are significant reasons for developing obesity. However, he says that obesity is mostly preventable through a combination of social changes and personal choices, underscoring the importance of Anti-Obesity Day awareness events that focus on providing information about obesity and its prevention.
Dr Moataz Bashah, Director of Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Services at HMC emphasizes that the National Obesity Center, which sits under HMC’s Qatar Metabolic Institute, was recently opened for the prevention of weight-related diseases as outlined in the National Health Strategy.
He says the Center is especially important in Qatar, which is faced with some of the highest levels of metabolic complications resulting from obesity and diabetes.
