“A shift in mindsets of parents, employers and the private sector (is) needed to tackle the pressing problem of overweight and obesity in Singapore,” says Dean, Professor Chia Kee Seng, following the release of The Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) recent report, “Tackling obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact and guidance on interventions” in Singapore on 1 June 2017.
Commissioned by the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN), the report states that obesity costs Singapore about a total of US$0.4-1 billion in 2016, up to 9.64 per cent (direct and indirect costs) in healthcare spending, as well as up to 6 and 10 productive years lost for males and females, respectively. An all-of-society approach to address the problem is crucial as obesity is not simply a health problem, but also a societal one.
Prof Chia was interviewed on Tackling Obesity in Singapore with Food Industry Asia.