More that 33 percent of the nation’s women have a waistline of more than 80cm, according to the results of surveys conducted by the Bureau of Health Promotion and highlighted yesterday on International Women’s Day.
The bureau’s section chief Chen Yen-fang (陳延芳) said an adult woman’s waistline should not exceed 80cm, but added that the behavior risk factor survey conducted by telephone among nearly 17,000 people last year showed that 58 percent of the respondents did not know that their waistline exceeded the bureau’s recommended maximum.
Chen said that a survey on national nutrition and health changes found that the proportion of women with a waistline exceeding 80cm rose to 33.6 percent in the 2005-2008 period from 20.2 percent recorded in a 1993-1996 survey.
Chen said that the number grew by 1 percent per year between 1993 and 2005, reflecting a trend toward obesity, which she said could lead to risks of high triglycerides, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The bureau suggested that women cut their consumption of sugary beverages such as bubble milk tea to one cup a day, take public transportation and walk for at least 15 minutes a day.
It also said women should increase their consumption of vegetables and cereals, minimize consumption of fried and processed food and skip late-night snacks in order to trim their waistlines.
RSS