Madrid
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The results of the survey by the Spanish Obesity Society (SEEDO) are clear «In line with the previous survey carried out during confinement (April 2020), it is confirmed that the rates of pre-obesity (overweight) and obesity continue to be alarming in Spain, already affecting more than half of the population”, highlights Maria del Mar Malagonits president.
As revealed by this study, 53.8% of those interviewed were overweight (36.6% overweight and 17.2% obese). “These are data that are similar to those produced by the 2020 ENPE study, but that differ somewhat from the last European health survey in Spain 2020 and that show a significant increase regarding the survey
SEEDO
of 2020″, points out Albert Lecube, vice president of
SEEDO.
And it is that the pandemic and changing lifestyles is reflected in an increase in the number of obese people compared to the SEEDO survey two years ago. “The implantation of teleworking, more hours sitting in front of the computer and near the kitchen, stress, limitations to go to sports centers due to the Covid restrictions and the fear of going out on the street in the elderly have undoubtedly contributed to the fact that currently more than half of our population must worry about the negative consequences for their health caused by excess of weight”, clarifies Lecube.
The average body mass index of the surveyed population is 25.97, showing that women and younger cohorts have a lower BMI (Women are also those who document higher rates of underweight).
The survey also yields subjective assessments of interest, as César Bustos points out, of
SEEDO ,«more than half of those surveyed consider that they are overweight, being the age group from the age of 35where the perception of this fact is more defined».
The truth, as highlighted by Sharona Azriel, secretary of
SEEDO“the thing is there is a clear interest in trying to lose weightsince 80.6% of overweight people and 91.4% of obese people state that they have tried to lose weight at some point.
In general, as María del Mar Malagón summarizes, the survey shows that «overweight and obesity are associated with less physical activity and less physical exercise in relation to what is observed in the general population».
According to what the respondents point out, the three main causes behind excess weight, in their opinion, are directly related to exercise habits, in the first place, eating habits, in second place, and emotional or personal management ( psychology), third.
And it is that this survey reflects, above all, the relaxation or neglect of good elementary habits of lifesuch as regular exercise. “There is evidence of a marked and widespread sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise is pointed out as the main cause of excess weight,” emphasizes César Bustos, who is CEO at No Hay Excusas.
Almost half of the respondents (42.6%) acknowledge that they do not do any type of physical exercise or you spend less than 1 hour a week (including all activities, such as brisk walking, running, jogging, bicycling, gymnastics, or any other sports modality or activity).
Sedentarism reaches worrying figures: 47.2% indicate that they spend between 1-5 hours a day sitting, lying down or inactive (not counting the hours of sleep), with 31% and 16% stating that they spend between 5 -8 hours a day or more than 8 hours, respectively, in a sedentary attitude.
But the photograph offered by this survey also shows reasons for hope, since there is an interest in increasing the time dedicated to physical exercise and, therefore, the challenge of improving motivational aspects and making this task more attractive is raised. , pleasant and feasible.
Of the sedentary population, the 80.7% acknowledge that they could spend at least 15 minutes a day, 4 or 5 days a week; and practically all the young people surveyed (94.9%), assure that they could dedicate more than 1 hour per week to exercisebeing the population group most willing to do so.
And why don’t they? “The main reason that is argued is that they do not like to exercise and, among the youngest, the main reason for not exercising is the high price of sports centers”, Azriel points out; therefore, as he adds, “the solution seems relatively simple: let’s make this habit more attractive and cheaper”; As he adds, “we must look for more motivating activities, and adapted to different ages and weight conditions, as well as work on the false beliefs surrounding physical exercise.”
Among the measures to be adopted, the focus is on the prescription of adequate and optimal physical exercise for each person. In this sense, as César Bustos recalls, «It has been shown that high-intensity training, provided it is correctly scheduled, improves cardiorespiratory and resistance response, with much smaller volumes of time than traditional training. The key, therefore, is to combine high-intensity training with high-medium load strength exercises.
A health problem and social stigma
The social stigma of obesity that continues to accompany people living with this disease is also evident in this survey. Practically half of the people who believe they are overweight (43.9%) have felt self-conscious about it, this feeling being greater among women (54.5%) and 14.1% of those surveyed have felt rejected because of their weight on occasion.
The survey also reflects a greater presence of injuries associated with the posterior chain (back -low back pain-, hips, knees or ankles) among people who are overweight or obese. Of these, 54.4% (compared to 47.6% of the general population) report an injury of this type in the last year, closely related to the deviation of the center of gravity, excess fat and imbalances biomechanics they present.
To draw attention to all these challenges, World Obesity Day is celebrated on March 4. It is a day of unified action, promoted by the World Federation of Obesity in collaboration with its global members, and which calls for a cohesive and intersectoral response to the obesity crisis.