Nearly 1 in 2 Hongkongers is overweight or obese, study shows
Experts advise use of properly prescribed GLP-1 drugs despite their popularity after endorsements by Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities
Nearly one in two Hongkongers is overweight or obese, a study has found, as doctors warn against using injectable weight-loss drugs bought online or from parallel importers without a prescription.
The Hong Kong Association for the Study of Obesity revealed on Thursday that its latest survey of about 1,000 residents found 19.3 per cent were overweight based on body mass index (BMI).
Some 46.7 per cent were in the normal BMI range, while 27.2 per cent were obese – nearly 5 percentage points more than in 2018, when the association conducted its first study.
“In reality, obesity is a health-impairing disease,” association president Dr Andrea Luk On-yan said.
“It significantly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease and cancer. The cost of treating obesity and its complications is immense, placing a heavy economic burden on society.”
However, public perception of obesity has not improved over the past seven years, the survey found.