About 40.6 percent of adult Filipinos are considered physically inactive, a health expert said Tuesday.

In a forum hosted by the Philippine College of Physicians, Dr. Mark Isaiah Co of the Central Luzon Doctor’s Hospital, said they saw many patients during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic seeking consultations for gaining weight.

“Lalo pa po nung (Especially during the) pandemic, nagka-lockdown (when lockdown happened) or [they were] not able to go to the gym, exercise, we stayed at home,” Co said.

“We really do get a lot of patients [nagsasabi] doc, tumaba po ako or nadagdagan po yung timbang ko (who said doctor, I gained weight) during the pandemic,” he added.

Apart from poor physical activity during the lockdown, Co also attributed the weight gain to depression and anxiety by the Filipinos felt during the pandemic.

The expert also noted that 36.6 percent of Filipinos aged 20 and above are either overweight or obese.

“Obesity has many roots. Hindi lang po ito dahil matakaw ka (It’s not just because you love to eat). Let’s try to remove that stigma na (that) it’s always just because of katakawan (greediness),” he noted.

Other causes of obesity include genetics, access to healthcare, or mental health issues among others.

Food choices

Co said that one of the contributors of obesity among Filipinos are food choices. Due to instant food being cheaper, many are opting to eat unhealthily, he added.

“Another thing that affects our ability to choose healthy food options is also the price,” Co continued.

“Kung titingnan natin napakamura ng mga instant (Because if we look at it instant food is cheaper) compared to the healthier food. White rice is cheaper than brown rice but brown rice is healthier,” he added.

Raw fish and meat are also more expensive than canned goods, Co continued.

“The cost accumulates and it’s easier to but unhealthy food in our country so this has to change also to help out efforts to combat obesity,” he stressed.

“Even yung mga gulay natin nagmamahalan (Even the prices of our vegetables are getting higher). So this contributes to the rising epidemic of obesity,” he added.