Growing obesity: A huge economic burden on Thailand 

Obesity and overweight is on a long-term upwards trend, with adult overweight prevalence rising from 26 per cent in 1995 to 35 per cent by 2009, according to the report commissioned by the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN).
Obesity in Thailand is largely driven by poor dietary choices and the prevalence of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods. Societal factors such as the country’s family planning programme have also resulted in fewer children per family, which has led to a tendency for parents to overfeed. In the last year, Thailand has seen an increase in obese and overweight children from 12.5 per cent to 13.3 per cent, according to the Policy and Strategy Bureau of the Ministry of Public Health.
This is leading to a huge economic burden. While the country faces one of the lowest overall (healthcare) costs of obesity in Asean when considered as a percentage of its national healthcare spending (between 3 per cent to 6 per cent), it is hit by the third highest dollar-value (economic) impact of the epidemic in the region, at between US$800 million to US$1.5 billion in 2016. 
To address this public healthcare burden, a paradigm shift in focus and strategies is needed. This includes more attention being placed on preventive healthcare; consumer – especially childhood – education on healthy nutrition; and multi-stakeholder partnerships and knowledge exchanges. 
This is where the private sector plays an equally important role, by recognising the significance of promoting healthier choices as a core part of their business. Fortunately, companies operating in Thailand’s food industry are steadily incorporating this as part of their business plans, and collaboration between the public and private sector is on the rise.
For example, business leaders are increasingly engaging with the government and other public players on ways they can provide better food options and education through product reformulations, the mandatory display of Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labels, as well as the voluntary ‘Healthier Choice’ labels developed by Mahidol University. 
Similarly, Thailand’s Healthy Lifestyle Strategic Plan 2011-2020 provides the framework for multi-sectoral actions at the national level and consists of five major strategies – healthy public policy, social mobilisation, community building, surveillance and care system, and system capacity building. 
Based on multi-sectoral collaboration, the prime minister of Thailand chairs the National Food Committee that is the steering authority for the national strategic plan, which includes multidisciplinary partners from government departments, professional bodies, private sector, media and civil societies. These examples highlight how a multi-stakeholder approach can efficiently reach out to the community. It would be difficult for one sector to work alone to solve a country’s obesity crisis. 

Contributed by DR VISITH CHAVASIT, Professor, Institute of Nutrition, Mahidol University.