Will obesity get a state-led prevention and management system as a social disease?

The so-called Basic Obesity Law has been proposed to prevent and manage obesity nationally.

On Tuesday, Rep. Park Hee-seung of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), a National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee member, introduced a bill for the “Obesity Prevention and Management Act.”

To effectively prevent and manage obesity, which is a cause of chronic diseases, the bill contains:

ㆍProviding the legal basis for establishing a basic plan for obesity prevention and management

ㆍConducting a survey on obesity

ㆍLaunching an obesity prevention and management committee

ㆍTraining specialized personnel

ㆍImplementing research projects for obesity prevention and management

ㆍDesignating an obesity prevention day

Specifically, it requires the Minister of Health and Welfare to establish a basic plan for obesity prevention and management every five years and to establish an obesity prevention and management committee under the Minister of Health and Welfare to deliberate on matters related to obesity prevention and management.

In addition, the Minister of Health and Welfare is required to survey the status of obesity every three years to establish and implement obesity prevention policies and to publish the results. The central and local governments must train specialized personnel in obesity prevention and management.

Notably, the bill requires the central and local governments to provide financial support to institutions or organizations that train, educate, and promote experts in obesity prevention and management, as determined by presidential decree.

The bill also included a provision to designate March 4 as Obesity Prevention Day every year to increase public understanding and interest in the dangers of obesity leading to chronic diseases and to create an atmosphere emphasizing obesity prevention and management.

Rep. Park emphasized that obesity is a major cause of chronic diseases, a high-risk factor that reduces an individual's quality of life and contributes to psychological problems, such as depression and social isolation, and must be treated.

According to the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO), the prevalence of obesity among adult males in 2021 was 49.2 percent, or one in two. The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents increased by about 2.5 times from 10.4 percent in 2012 to 25.9 percent in 2021 for boys and by about 1.4 times from 8.8 percent in 2012 to 12.3 percent in 2021 for girls.

The social cost of obesity is also increasing. According to the National Health Insurance Service, the social cost of obesity exceeded 15.6 trillion won ($11.2 billion) in 2021, growing at an average annual rate of 7 percent, and is higher than the social cost of smoking (11.4 trillion won).

“Considering the social costs and losses caused by obesity, it should no longer be recognized as an individual's lifestyle or beauty aspect, but as a disease that needs to be prevented and treated,” Park said. “An institutional framework should be established that spans the entire life cycle and all areas of life.”

He continued, “Disparities in obesity prevalence by gender, age, region, and income level are also growing. Considering the social costs and losses caused by obesity, it is necessary to establish legal and institutional mechanisms to address the obesity problem at the national level.”