Gab focuses on winning the war on obesity

Obesity and overweight is an all-encompassing condition that transcends beyond age brackets and social status. The Philippine Association for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (PASOO) medical convention last Sept. 1-2 at the Grand Ballroom of the Century Park Hotel in Manila addressed this problem through a series of symposia on obesity management in special conditions and populations.

With the theme "Winning the War Against Obesity," PASOO’s third postgraduate course featured the symposia "Preventing Obesity at the Beginning of Life" and "Obesity in the Elderly: Should They Be Treated?" delivered by noted physicians Maria Asuncion Silvestre and Rosa Allyn Sy, respectively.

To inform the delegates of the latest developments in obesity management, PASOO president Dr. Augusto Litonjua lectured on "Inflammation and Obesity: New Field of Therapy?" while Dr. Elizabeth Paz-Pacheco discussed "Non-alcoholic Liver Steatosis: A Fat Storage Disease."

Later in the first day, delegates were formed into four groups and assigned to different speakers who thoroughly discussed assessment of body weight (patient screening and evaluation) and physical activity prescription. A symposium was also allotted for dietary management and counseling.

The second of the two-day convention probed deeper on the nature and causes of obesity with symposia under the umbrella topic "Epidemiology: The What, Why and Wherefore of Obesity."

Dr. Rodolfo Florentino zeroed in on obesity cases in the Philippines, while Dr. Antonio Miguel Dans introduced waist-to-hip ratio system that would determine the standards for obesity, replacing the body mass index.

Afternoon sessions shed some light on the issues concerning the effectiveness of paramedical practices. Drs. Florencio Lucero, Joseph Fernan Ortiz and Ariel Torres each discussed the real deal on cosmetic surgery, mesotherapy and gyms in relation to weight management, respectively.

Toward the end of the convention, the role of the community and government in winning the war against obesity were also tackled.