The Minister of Health, Abderrahmane Benbouzid, affirmed, Thursday in Algiers, the regulation of obesity care within an initial framework by developing a guide for health professionals.
During his supervision of the inauguration of a study day on the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day for the Fight against Obesity, in the presence of representatives of the United Nations bodies UNICEF, the World Health Organization and scientific communities, the minister explained that this guide is a “necessary tool for good practices by involving the general practitioner at the level of neighborhood structures.”
The senior official in the sector also stressed the follow-up and accompaniment of the obese person by multidisciplinary teams at the level of a reference structure to treat this phenomenon.
On the other hand, the Minister insisted on improving the training and skills of the staff assigned to treat this disease by setting up a training program in coordination with experts to take care of it early “so that it does not become an irreversible epidemic.”
In this regard, Benbouzid called for the involvement of decision-makers from other concerned sectors in the sensitization process by providing quality food products and providing means for physical activity.
On the other hand, he pointed out that the current stage is characterized by several challenges, foremost of which is the strengthening and continuation of the procedures that have been initiated through the permanent involvement of the associative movement and the joint sectors, with an emphasis on the “effective” implementation of all procedures based on improving patient care. He also urged the actors in the field to take action to fight obesity, which he described as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases.
Finally, the Minister of Health mentioned the prevalence of obesity, based on the ministry’s data, among the age groups between 0 and 5 years, between 12 and 14 percent in 2013, after it was 9 percent in 2007, to know some kind of stability in the year 2020.
As for adults between the ages of 18 and 69 years, and based on the 2017 STEP investigation, the latter proved that two out of three women are overweight or obese, or 63.3 percent of this sex, and one man out of two men, i.e. This equates to 48.3 percent of this category.
Infection with the Covid-19 virus in an obese person has also increased the risk of death, according to studies and observations recorded at the level of various hospitals in the country.
APS 10/03/2022
