Hong Kong launches weight management plan to combat obesity
The Hong Kong government has launched a first-of-its-kind action plan on weight management to combat obesity.
The initiative was in response to a department of health (DH) population survey from 2020 to 2022, which found that over 50% of adults in the special administrative region are overweight or obese.
The action plan will follow five key pillars: strengthen health education and promotion, proactively foster a social environment that supports weight management, strengthen health service delivery, adopt a life-course approach to health promotion strategy, and continuously monitor weight trends among HK citizens.
It will be implemented over three years, with a different theme every year.
For 2026, the plan will start with "Raise Awareness," with the government launching a 10,000 steps a day walking challenge on the e+Life platform within the eHealth mobile app from March 21 onwards. This encourages the public to explore featured routes.
The themes that will follow are "Positive Changes" and "Maintenance - Part of Life."
"Obesity is a global issue. The government has always been concerned about the adverse health effects of obesity on members of the public and has been promoting healthy lifestyles comprehensively," Dr. Edwin Tsui, the Controller of the Center for Health Protection of the DH, said.
He added that the action plan spans the entire life cycle—from prenatal to school years, adulthood, and old age.
The DH also urges the public to be aware of their own weight indicators and participate in health activities.
The World Health Organization classifies obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease brought about by factors like genetics, neurobiology, eating behaviors, access to a healthy diet, and more. In 2022, it said that one in eight people in the world lives with obesity.
Diagnosis of obesity is made by calculating a person's body mass index.
Higher-than-optimal BMI caused 3.7 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases in 2021, as per WHO. This includes cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and digestive disorders.
