Obesity, a chronic disease that shortens the life

Not only those who are suspected to infect the coronavirus. Also obese people are sometimes put in isolation. They are deemed different, weak, or simply guilty of not having resisted to the food. But obesity is a real disease, perhaps the most visible, from which, however, can be cured. And while the focus and concerns of all are concentrated on the coronavirus, today with the world Day seeks to focus the spotlight on obesity and all the problems that entails, as just the isolation, but also the discrimination or acts of bullying. The initiative, promoted by the World Obesity Federation, this year concentrated the efforts of different organisations at both national and regional, because "Together, we can change the narrative about the obesity". The epidemic of non-infectious largest According to the world health Organization, obesity is"epidemic" is not infectious in the most vast proportions of the third millennium. Obesity and overweight affect 2.3 billion people in the world, and obesity alone 650 million people. Also, cause almost 5 million deaths with a total cost of approximately 2 trillion us dollars. This is an economic impact comparable to that of cigarette smoking or to that of all the wars, acts of armed violence and terrorism. Also Italy is not, in fact, according to Istat data one in 10 people is obese, or more than 5 million adults. Alarm also for the children: according to the latest data released by the Higher Institute of Health, about 50,000 children 21.3% were overweight and 9.3% obese. Projects to beat the stigma In Italy, the Day is promoted by the Italian Society of Obesity (SIO) and the Italian Obesity Network (I-NET) in partnership with the Open-Obesity Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) and Friends Obese Onlus, in collaboration with the Changing ObesityTM and with the patronage of the Ministry of Health and the parliamentary Intergroup Obesity and Diabetes. Among the initiatives to be defined, aimed to change the narrative about the obesity “project, The key (s)time”, an exhibition of photographic stories of people with obesity, created by Friends Obese Onlus, the project “ " I'd like that”, a book that collects the desires of those who struggle daily to fight obesity, sponsored by I-NET, Changing ObesityTM and OPEN Italy. The institutional commitment obesity is now a very significant problem in public health and expenditure for the national healthcare systems, an expense that will become unsustainable if they are not adopted policies of prevention, adequate. On November 13, the Assembly of the Chamber unanimously approved a Motion that commits the Government to take actions for the prevention and treatment of obesity. “The Motion, " explains Roberto Pella, president of the Parliamentary Intergroup Obesity and Diabetes - requires, first and foremost the recognition of obesity as a chronic disease characterized by high costs, social, economic, and clinical trials; the implementation of a National Plan; the start of a strong campaign to combat the stigma, which, thanks to the sensitivity of the Minister of Health, Hope, starts today”. The complexity of the disease, experts highlight how obesity is an epidemic disease, and the interventions of prevention, until now, have proven to be ineffective since they are based on the paradigm of personal responsibility, which is the subject gain, because it does not respect the rules. “On the contrary, obesity is a complex condition that results from the interaction of genetic factors, psychological, and environmental,” says Giuseppe Fairy, president of the Italian Obesity Network - I NET , who adds: “people with obesity should also be taken in charge by the doctors of the family and receive individual assistance by the National Health System equal to that of people with diabetes, in this perspective, the adoption of a motion represents an important step in this direction.” Diabetes and ischemic between the consequences of obesity, Therefore, obesity is a heterogeneous disease, and multifactorial disorder influenced by genetic factors, environmental and psychological. “Not only,” adds the Ferruccio Santini , president of the Italian Society of Obesity. “Overweight and obesity are responsible for 80% of cases of type 2 diabetes, 35 percent of the cases of ischaemic heart disease and 55% of the cases of hypertensive diseases among adults. This is a potentially deadly disease that negatively affects the life expectancy, is cause of social discomfort, and often, among children and adolescents, promotes bullying”. The photographic exhibition of The people with obesity are subject to stigma and discrimination from infancy and early childhood, with a negative impact on the physical, psychological and social causes repercussions in the most important aspects of life. “It is therefore of fundamental importance to adapt the language and the behavior thanks to increased awareness and knowledge about obesity as a complex disease and not only due to personal mistakes,” says Iris Zani, president of Friends Obese and non-profit organizations. The project “The key (s)when” it was thought right to inform the people and try to dispel the stigma and social prejudices about obesity, by sending at the same time a positive message, i.e. that obesity is a disease which can be cured. “For this - continues Zani - we have created an exhibition that, through a careful selection of photographs, tells the stories of awareness and rebirth from obesity”. The stages of the exhibition will soon be available on news channels and social media platforms of Friends Obese and non-profit organizations.

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