Obesity Day: Worldwide and European

All articles in this blog are written in collaboration with and under the supervision of the health professionals at our gastroenterology center.

Obesity Day has been around for a dozen years. But it is only two years since an international day was established. It is dedicated to raising awareness of this disease, which is gaining ground all over the world. Find out in this article how it works, what the objectives of this day are and much more!

What is obesity ?

Obesity is a significant excess of weight caused by the presence of fat mass. According to the WHO (World Health Organisation), the measure that defines the type of obesity of an individual is the BMI (body mass index). Calculate your BMI online on our clinic’s website.

The European day against obesity

Created in 2010, the European day against obesity brings together several coexisting days (European, national, etc.). Comprising 192 states, the members of the organisation finally adopted a resolution in 2013 that would enable them to fight these diseases more effectively and reduce the number of deaths caused by obesity.

In order to achieve this, the following measures have been proposed :

• reducing the amount of sugar in soft drinks
• improve the labelling of industrial foods
• remove fatty acids from food processing
• reducing the amount of salt in ready meals
• taxing unhealthy products

The WHO supports these Member States and calls on them to move quickly to implement these measures ⁽¹⁾.

However, it was not until 2020 that forces came together to establish a World Obesity Day on 4 March.

World Obesity Day

World Obesity Day is held on 4 March. Launched in 2020, this day helps to raise awareness of this disease while mobilising energies. The aim is to change people’s attitudes and to fight against preconceived ideas.

Indeed, for a large part of the population, overweight and obesity are simply a question of lack of motivation and laziness: too much food and too sedentary a lifestyle ⁽²⁾. However, obesity is a multifactorial disease that includes hereditary and/or genetic factors, environmental and/or medical causes, hormonal problems, etc.

Obesity is indeed a disease that is gaining ground. So much so that the WHO calls it the first chronic disease in history! The statistics on overweight and obesity over the last few decades are shocking ⁽³⁾. It is therefore essential to help people affected on several levels :

• supporting research
• breaking taboos

To achieve this, we need to change the way society looks at overweight and obese people. In particular, we must stop discrimination and defend this cause. This is the objective of this day of overweight and obesity ⁽⁴⁾ which invites us to act at local, national and international level ⁽⁵⁾.

For APRIFEL (Agency for Research and Information on Fruit and Vegetables), the 2019 EGEA conference ⁽⁶⁾ underlines the urgency of making the environment healthier: that the healthiest food choices become the most accessible, available and affordable. To achieve this, political and societal choices must follow, particularly in terms of agriculture, health and education ⁽⁷⁾.

How does Obesity Day work ?

In France, a partnership between the Decathlon foundation and the league against obesity is organising a challenge and a live event from 4 to 6 March.

Challenge

In the 2021 edition, the “kilometre against obesity” challenge recorded 18369.3km and 1358h19. The challenge consisted in doing any physical activity (running, cycling, swimming, walking, gymnastics, etc.) and then registering the number of hours or kilometres covered on the official website of the World Day Against Obesity. Don’t forget to take a picture of yourself making an O with both hands as a sign of support for the cause, and then share it on your social networks and on the World Obesity Day website.

Live

The live WOD (world obesity day) was transmitted live on facebook and zoom. The programme included workshops, interviews, cooking classes, conferences, interviews, etc. From 9am to 8pm.

Then the Twitch platform streamers took over, during 36 hours of video raid which allowed them to collect donations from their fans. This solidarity event reached all regions of France and overseas.

The next edition on 4 March 2023 will be on the theme of changing perspectives:

” Let’s talk about obesity ” together we can change the obesity narrative for a happier, healthier and longer life.

So don’t miss the event !

Have you ever attended an obesity day? If you want to lose weight, find out about weight loss methods or contact us on +32 (0)2 673 90 71, our weight clinic will be happy to help you achieve your weight loss goal. Our large team of professional doctors in Brussels is available by appointment to assist you.

Scientific references and sources

1. Official website of the world days.
2. Odoxa poll on grossophobia of Wednesday 4 March 2020 in pdf format.
3. Study published in the new england journal of medicine on the evolution of overweight and obesity over 25 years in 195 countries (from 1990 to 2015).
4. EGEA conference in pdf format.
5. Var Departmental Health Education Committee.
6. EGEA conference in pdf format.
7. APRIFEL.