The Ministry Of Health Calls Many Factors That Make Obesity Cases Increase This Year

Funeral Of M Fajri, A 300 Kg obese Man Who Died/ Photo: Antara

JAKARTA According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), obesity cases in Indonesia have increased significantly in the last 10 years, from 10.5 percent in 2007 to 21.8 percent in 2018.

"Obesitas saat ini telah digolongasikan sebagai penyakit yang perlu intervensi secara komprehensif," kata Direktur Pencegahan dan Pengendalian Penyakit Tidak Menular Kemenkes Eva Susanti, Antara, Minggu, 9 Juli.

He said obesity is a multifactor problem influenced by increasing energy intake, changing traditional diets to modern, urbanization, and decreasing physical activity. This factor is supported by contributions from other factors such as socio-economic, cultural, behavioral and environmental aspects.

In addition, said Eva, obesity is also triggered by a lack of physical activity related to the phenomenon typical of urban areas, namely reducing public spaces as a playground and exercise.

The ease of accessing modern high-tech facilities, according to him, is also a factor in the lack of physical activity for teenagers, especially in urban areas.

The Ministry of Health classifies obesity as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus, heart, cancer, hypertension, and other metabolic and non-metabolic diseases.

Eva said obesity contributed to the cause of death from cardiovascular disease by 5.87 percent of total deaths, diabetes and kidney disease by 1.84 percent of the total death.

The Ministry of Health, he continued, is trying to hold back the prevalence rate of obesity in Indonesia by 21.8 percent until the end of 2024 according to the indicators in the 2020-2024 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).

"The prevalence of obesity in Indonesia according to the RPJMN is stipulated through Presidential Regulation Number 8 of 2020," he said.

Eva said there are three important pillars related to prevention and control of obesity. First, encouraging communication on the issue of obesity for formal and informal talks by the community, health workers, policy makers, community organizations, and other parties.

This strategy is the most important thing to change perceptions of obesity. "This license can be adjusted to various regional and national contexts which are expected to initiate effective policies to prevent and control obesity," he said.

Second, the control strategy is to make obesity a collective effort to change the perception of obesity as an individual problem and educate people to understand that there are roles of society and other factors that affect obesity.

"The snake also reflects the need for a movement so that it can have an impact on the wider community," he said.

To build a movement, said Eva, it takes effort to build a perspective that obesity is a shared problem that requires real and effective collective action.

Third, formulating national efforts to encourage conversations and collective movements leads to an action. "National Action Plans need to be built to take proactive and evidence-based actions to prevent and overcome obesity," he said.

Recently, there were a number of obese cases that attracted public attention in Indonesia, including a man from Tangerang City with the initials MF weighing 300 kilograms and died after being treated at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) on June 22, 2023.

Then Cipto Raharjo (45) a obese man weighing about 200 kilograms who is currently still undergoing medical treatment at the Tangerang City Hospital. Furthermore, Muhammad Kenzi Alfaro, a resident of Pusaka Rakyat Village, Tarumajaya, Bekasi Regency, who weighed 27 kilograms at the age of 16 months in early February 2023.