Obesity may result from an excessive intake of fatty foods — Dietician
According to Ms. Ama Hienne Amoako, a Dietician at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), excessive consumption of oily or fatty meals with high-calorie content may be a risk factor for obesity.
She observed that these foods increase the body's energy content, and when no physical activity is undertaken, the extra energy is stored in the body as fat. As a result, these foods should be consumed in moderation.
The IMaH Dietician spoke at the weekly "Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility," a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting communication on health-related issues and providing a platform for the dissemination of health information in order to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.
"Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility" is a public health advocacy platform launched by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to investigate the dimensions of four health communication approaches: informing, instructive, persuasive, and prompting.
The IMaH Dietician noted once more that the presence of high-calorie foods in the body increases the likelihood of obesity because the body takes a long time to digest food and thus stores fat in the body.
To avoid increasing one's blood cholesterol level, baked goods or fries containing oil or fat that are high in energy, such as cakes, pizza, muffins, pies, donuts, and many others, should not be consumed on a regular basis.
Ms. Amoako further stressed that obesity is linked to hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems, thus eating healthy meals and exercising frequently to decrease weight should be promoted.
She also stressed that obesity is linked to hypertension, diabetes, and other health problems, therefore eating healthy foods and exercising regularly to decrease weight should be promoted.
Contributing to the conversation, Dr. Marc Kwame Dzradosi, Head of Pharmaceutical Services at IMaH, explained that obesity is caused by an imbalance between the number of calories consumed and the number of calories the body can break down.
"Every meal contains healthy components that, when consumed by the body, may be healthy but can also be harmful if eaten frequently," he explained.
Obesity, which can affect both infants and adults, may be influenced by age. Children aged four and up should not be forced by their parents to consume more food because they will acquire weight.
Because the child's stomach is designed to consume a modest amount of food, this circumstance will result in obesity and other health implications such as heartburn, stomach troubles, and many more.
Adopting a poor lifeclass, such as consuming more food than the body can handle, eating late at night, and not participating in regular physical activity, he noted, may contribute to obesity since the body retains excess fat.
Dr. Dzradosi highlighted that obese children aged 10-15 years are more prone to develop type 2 diabetes, while those aged 18 and up have hypertension as a result of eating more salty and oily foods without engaging in regular physical activity.
According to Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency's Tema Regional Manager, "GNA-Tema Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility" is a public health advocacy platform designed to examine the four techniques to health communication: informing, teaching, persuasive, and urging.
He noted that through the weekly health dialogue forum, the GNA platform serves as an excellent communication route for medical practitioners to educate the public about healthy practises and other general health concerns.