The percentage of Taiwanese men who are overweight is rising due to lifestyle changes, a researcher said on Thursday.
The share of overweight Taiwanese has steadily increased since 2016, reaching 47.9 percent of adults in 2019, Health Promotion Administration data showed.
The data showed that 66.6 percent of Taiwanese men aged 35 to 44 are overweight or obese, making it the demographic with the largest share of overweight or obese people.
The share of overweight or obese women in the same age group is 30 percentage points lower, the data showed.
For women, the age group with the highest share of overweight or obese people is that of 65 or older, with 58.8 percent, it showed.
The agency classifies people with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30 as overweight, and those with a BMI of above 30 as obese.
To calculate a person’s BMI, their weight in kilograms is divided by the square of their height in meters.
Starting this year, the agency’s annual health statistics report compiles overweight and obesity data in four-year periods. For the previous period, from 2013 to 2016, the agency found that 45.4 percent of Taiwanese were overweight or obese.
Lu Chia-wen (盧佳文), a doctor in National Taiwan University Hospital’s family medicine department, said that the high share of overweight or obese men aged 35 to 44 might be due to many men of that age group experiencing major changes in their life, for example when they start working in more demanding jobs or start a family.
“These changes lead to added stress at work and at home, which might lead to changed eating habits and less time for physical activities,” Lu said. “Men of that age group also experience slower metabolism, which might lead to them gaining weight.”
Many men are not aware of that process and only realize that they are gaining weight when they are already overweight, she added.
“Studies have found that women are more sensitive and care more about their body,” she said, adding that higher estrogen levels reduce the risk of gaining weight.
This “protects” women from unwanted weight gain until menopause, when their metabolism also slows down, she said.
The proportion of overweight and obese men is in general higher than that of women, she said, citing statistics from Japan, Singapore and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Unwanted weight gain is usually caused by genetic factors, excessive consumption of processed foods with high levels of sugar and fat, and a lack of exercise, medical experts say.
Overweight and obese people are more susceptible to high blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as cardiovascular disease and cancer, experts say.
When an overweight or obese person loses weight, their health condition usually improves, experts say, with studies finding lower rates of infertility, gastroesophageal reflux, osteoarthritis, and sleep apnea and other breathing disorders after a weight loss.
HPA Health Education and Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said that despite the share of overweight and obese adults continuing to rise, the trend has slowed in the past few years.
To help further reverse the trend, the agency is drafting guidelines on overweight control, Lo said, adding that it is also working on programs to be conducted at schools, among families, and in hospitals and communities to promote weight control from a young age.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS