Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum)

Re: Are there any successful policies and programmes to fight overweight and obesity?

Dear Moderator

Find below my contribution

There is no directional policy that is currently being implemented to fight against overweight and obesity, however there are several strategic direction documents imbedded in both Health and Nutrition policies on how to tackle the problems of overweight and obesity. These documents encourages and promote Nutritional counselling, adherent to dietary guidelines, Physical activities and mandatory Nutritional labeling to provide  individual with appropriate and adequate information as it relates to Nutrients being consumed or eaten – in this regards, people have not being actually sensitized on the importance of reading the instructions on the food label before consumption for their Health and Nutrition benefit. Sometime in 2011, WHO supported a regional workshop in Arusha Tanzania to promotes consumption  of fruits and vegetables among the member states, I am not sure if a single country in attendance at that workshop have done anything to further the implementations of several recommendations that the workshop came up with. Good percentages of these recommendations speaks specifically to overweight and obesity. Looking back to Mid-90s (in Nigeria)  there are a lots of sporting activities imbedded in the school curriculum to promote healthy lifestyle, suddenly all these sporting activities disappeared from schools curriculum and the resulting situation is overweight and obese school children on the rise couple with dangerously changed dietary lifestyle that provide much energy from food consumed  without corresponding energy utilization. One sure way to fight against overweight and obesity is to introduce Nutrition education in primary school and Secondary school and reintroduction of all forms of sporting activities in the schools    

As mentioned above, there is no standalone policy or policies on Overweight and Obesity, but strategic direction documents imbedded in both health and Nutrition targeted School children, adolescent  and adulthood. However in term of effectiveness and success factors, I am not aware of a single study conducted to evaluate these strategic direction documents  either at State or  National levels simply because no dedicated implementation have been initiated   to fight overweight and obesity in the country. The major problem is that government does not see overweight and obesity as an issue for mandatory programme implementation, rather much effort is being concentrated on the other forms of malnutrition-undernutrition   

 The crucial elements are:

  1. There must be a convincing data/statistics of overweight and obesity as a problem either at Local, state or National in case of Nigeria
  2. Government Commitment  to addresses the issue  If validated to be a problem i.e Overweight and Obesity
  3. Stakeholders coming together to develop a multi-sectoral strategic implementable ( most action plans are not implementable)  action  plans to tackle the problem holistically (All key sectors must be involved)
  4. Development of appropriate Key messages to be disseminated using a continuous mass media platforms in conjunctions with other forms of information dissemination strategy.    

Adetunji, O. Falana,

Nutrition Officer,

UNICEF Sokoto  Field Office

Sama Road