Belgian obesity organisation wants to discuss worrying trend with ministers
The Belgian Association for the Study of Obesity (BASO) is on Tuesday, 4 March or World Obesity Day, launching a new campaign to raise awareness of the chronic disease. The organisation will request a meeting with the responsible ministers of the different Belgian governments.
According to the Belgian public health institute Sciensano, almost half of the Belgian population is overweight. 18 per cent of Belgians is even obese. The projections for 2030 look even more dire. The situation in Belgium is not among the worst in Europe, but the figures still worry experts. “The situation in our country is not going in the right direction,” said expert Nele Coulier of BASO.
BASO wants to discuss the worrying trend with the responsible Belgian ministers: Flemish welfare minister Caroline Gennez, federal health minister Frank Vandenbroucke and Walloon health minister Yves Coppieters. The aim is to highlight the urgency of the problem.
For the general public, BASO is launching an awareness campaign against the chronic disease on Tuesday, on the occasion of World Obesity Day. “The problem is that obesity brings with it a lot of secondary diseases,” said Coulier. “Think of cardiovascular diseases and joint problems, for example. These can be prevented if you tackle the first cause.”
With the campaign, the organisation mainly wants to destigmatise the disease and encourage people to seek help. “Obesity is not a choice, how we deal with it is,” states BASO in its new campaign.
More info can be found on the website www.overobesitas.be
Illustration © BELGA PHOTO IMAGO
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