The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has revealed higher overweight and obesity rates; approximately 54% of the total number of patients visiting dietetics and community clinics in all its health centers.

Past year statistics show that the total number of patients visiting dietetics and community clinics at PHCC health centers reached 20,976 with 30% higher rate of overweight and 54% higher rate of obesity.

PHCC explained that lack of movement, fast food, and air conditioners are the reasons behind this rise in Qatar, resulting in lack of physical activity and fewer calories burned.

It further clarified that among the main nutritional causes of this rise is the high consumption of processed foods high in calories.

The World Obesity Day for the year 2022, with the theme 'Everybody Needs to Act', aims to raise awareness and improve policies concerning treatment and prevention of obesity. PHCC took part in this annual event to strengthen joint efforts and potentials to combat and control the rise in overweight and obesity rates and limit their spread and health complications.

Annual statistics and reports indicated a global rise in the prevalence of obesity, making it a global health issue and quite expensive for the healthcare systems, PHCC stated.

It is worth noting that PHCC provides dietetics and community clinics in its 28 health centers, with a total of 10 clinics in each health center, 5 in the morning shift and 5 in the evening shift, supervised by 38 specialists.

PHCC dietetics and community clinics are considered one of the most modern clinics of therapeutic nutrition and weight loss consultations. The clinics are provided with body composition analyzers, and they offer nutritional consultation services. They design diet programs supported by science regarding weight loss, weight gain, and increasing immunity.

The clinics provide therapeutic nutrition consultations for diseases, such as diabetes, blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart diseases, digestive system, kidneys, anemia, osteoporosis, gout, and gestational diabetes. In addition to providing pregnant and lactating women nutritional consultations, special diets for children and adolescents, and special diets for athletes, such as measuring the increase in muscle mass and decrease in excess fat mass in general.

The dietetics and community clinics also provide weight loss plans and help to change eating habits to follow a healthy lifestyle through counseling and follow-ups.
PHCC stated that those at higher risk of developing obesity are those who cannot balance their calories intake and the physical activities they perform, leading to unhealthy weight gain.

Obesity is a gateway to many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and some types of cancer, such as endometrial cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, gallbladder cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer.