There is an argument in the medical community that the government should treat obesity as a chronic disease and actively manage it. As the number of severely obese children and adolescents is rapidly increasing recently, the government must recognize obesity as a social problem, not a personal problem, and take action to solve it. Concerns have also been raised that the culture of enjoying and sharing sugar-filled desserts is leading to obesity in children and adolescents.
Kim Gyeong-gon, Vice President of the Korean Society of Obesity (Professor of Family Medicine, Gil Hospital, Gachon University School of Medicine), said at the Insurance and Policy Symposium of the Korean Society of Obesity held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the 7th, “The prevalence of severe obesity and obesity in children and adolescents is rapidly increasing in Korea.”
According to the Korean Society of Obesity’s treatment guidelines, if the BMI (body mass index) exceeds 25, it is considered obese and it is recommended to consider exercise prescription and drug treatment. If the BMI is over 30, it is classified as stage 2 obesity (severe obesity), and if it is over 35, it is classified as stage 3 obesity (very severe obesity).
Vice Chairman Kim said, “Just 10 years ago, less than 3% of people had a BMI over 30, but now, people with a BMI over 30 are close to 10% of men in their 20s and 30s.” He added, “If we do not change our attitude toward obesity, “We will catch up with the situation in the United States (where there is a large obese population) within 10 to 20 years,” he said.
Hong Yong-hee, director of the Pediatrics and Adolescent Committee of the Korean Obesity Society (professor at Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital) pointed out the seriousness of obesity in children and adolescents. Professor Hong cited “the play culture of teenage children enjoying Tanghulu for dessert” as an external factor in childhood obesity.
If you develop habits that cause obesity at a young age, they need to be 먹튀검증corrected as quickly as they can cause complications of chronic diseases such as diabetes when you grow up, but correction is not easy in this culture of play. Professor Hong also expressed concern that “overweight boys are often victims of school violence, and obese children are more likely to take various psychiatric drugs.”
Park Cheol-young, chairman of the Korean Obesity Society (professor of endocrinology at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital), also pointed out that the social atmosphere that does not recognize obesity as a ‘disease’ is a problem. Chairman Park said, “The number of obese patients is increasing rapidly, but it seems that people are not aware of it.” It means that you have become insensitive to ‘obesity’.
Although groundbreaking obesity treatments such as Saxenda and Wigobi developed by Novo Nordisk are being released one after another, they are a pie in the sky for severely obese patients who are concerned about serious complications. Because of the expensive price. However, this is not just a problem for Saxenda and Hugobee.
In Korea, reimbursement is not recognized for all obesity treatments except gastric resection surgery (obesity surgery). Obesity treatments such as Belviq, Qsymia, and Contrave, which were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) between 2012 and 2014, are much cheaper than Saxenda and Wigobi, and are safer and more accessible than obesity metabolic surgery . The adequacy of health insurance is not recognized.
Vice Chairman Kim said, “Treatments for complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure caused by obesity are covered,” and that patients with stage 2 or 3 obesity who are concerned about complications must receive appropriate treatment. Jeong Yeon-hee, head of the Health Promotion Division of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, “It is not easy for obesity treatments to receive health insurance coverage all at once,” and added, “I think we need to continuously review priorities in stages.”