KARACHI: An important awareness programme was organised by Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) in association with Women Development and Welfare Center on the occasion of World Obesity Day.

Former Surgeon General of Pakistan Army, Lieutenant General Kamal Akbar (retd), Vice President Col Dr Shakeel Mirza (retd), General Secretary and Director General Operations of Pakistan National Heart Association, Sana Ullah Ghumman, Consultant Food Policy Programme, Munawar Hussain were present. Iram Mumtaz, Chairperson, Women Development and Welfare Center, Murree Road, Rawalpindi, Yemeni Mir, Deputy Director was host that event.

Addressing the participants, General Secretary and Director Operations of Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), Sana Ullah Ghumman said that World Obesity Day is celebrated all over the world including Pakistan in March. This year the theme is “Everybody Needs to Act”. Obesity is one of the biggest public health challenges facing the world today, affecting 800 million people worldwide. It is a life-threatening disease that doubles the risk of hospitalisation for Covid-19. Ghumman said that we need to take action locally, nationally and globally to reduce this. The rate of obesity has almost tripled since 1975, and the number of children and adolescents has increased almost fivefold.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022