The number of adults considered to be obese in Taiwan has reached a 10-year high, with experts attributing the increase to the prevalence of food-delivery services and the automated conveniences of modern living, a study released on Monday by the Health Promotion Administration found.
The percentage of people aged 18 or older considered obese or overweight increased to 43.9 percent in 2018 from 38 percent in 2009, the study showed.
The study defined obesity as having a body mass index of 24kg/m2 or greater.
In 2018, 17.2 percent of adults in Taiwan were overweight and 26.7 were obese, up from 13.6 percent overweight and 24.4 percent obese in 2009, the study showed.
Of the nation’s overweight and obese adults in 2018, the study showed that 55.1 percent were men and 32.5 percent were women, while 25 percent of those aged 18 to 24 and 35 percent of those aged 25 to 34 were overweight or obese.
The prevalence of being overweight or obese, which increases with age, is often connected with lifestyle changes, the Taiwan Medical Association for the Study of Obesity said on Monday.
For example, people entering the workforce tend to be overworked, meaning that they are less active and eat at irregular times, it said, adding that the problem is exacerbated by the slowing metabolism that accompanies aging.
“The increase in obesity — a serious problem — is mainly caused by eating more and being less active. These days you don’t even need to step outside to buy food,” association director-general Hsiao Tun-jen (蕭敦仁) said.
In the modern era, several automated conveniences have also contributed to weight gain, such as the prevalence of motor vehicles and washing machines, robot vacuum cleaners and office building elevators, he said, adding that increased stress and lack of proper sleep also contribute.
Obesity is especially a concern in winter, when colder temperatures increase the risk of heart problems, and also in the summer, when people tend to drink more sugary cold beverages to beat the heat — which results in a vicious cycle, he said.
The sour drinks sold at most beverage shops, such as citrus fruit or plum drinks, are especially harmful, as often a large amount of sugar is added to overcome the sourness, John Tung Foundation Department of Food and Nutrition director Hsu Hui-yu (許惠玉) said.
People should make their own fruit-flavored iced teas using fresh fruit, instead of buying drinks from beverage shops, Hsu said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man