The Health Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials SSM) held a press conference yesterday to raise awareness about weight management and to promote healthy lifestyle practices among residents. The event outlined some of its preparations for the 2026 Macao Health Survey, a city-wide assessment of residents’ health status that is conducted every ten years.
According to a report in Macau Post Daily, the overweight and obesity rate of residents, measured by Body Mass Index (BMI), is on the rise. Based on data from the 2016 Macao Health Survey, 21.3 percent of Macao residents aged 18 or above were classified as overweight and obese, while in the 2022/23 school year, 21.7 percent of secondary school students were classified as overweight and obese.
Areia Preta Health Centre chief Chou Mei Fong explained that a waist circumference exceeding 90 centimetres for men and 80 centimetres for women would be defined as central obesity. This condition increases the risk of chronic diseases such as hyperglycemia, characterised by abnormally high blood glucose and hyperlipidaemia, characterised by abnormally high levels of fats in the blood.
Chief of the SSM health division, Wong Weng Man, said the problem of obesity was exacerbated by urban development and changes in lifestyle, such as increase in sedentary behaviour, decrease in physical activity and the popularity of unhealthy takeaway meals.
[See more: Most adults around the world will be overweight or obese by 2050, report warns]
The bureau vows to implement various measures and strategies to address this issue, Macau Post Daily says, promoting a shift in health concept from “passive treatment” to “active prevention.”
The approach involves setting up free self-service checkpoints for residents to check their blood pressure and body weight, organising regular seminars and workshops on weight management, as well as urging residents to make use of the My Health 2.0 app to keep track of their health data and trends.
Obesity prevention is listed as one of the 20 target indicators in the government’s Healthy Macao Blueprint, a long-term plan that aims to transform Macao into a healthy city by 2030. The blueprint consists of three major policy directions: shifting focus to prevention and early detection; the allocation of greater resources; and the replacement of passive attitudes toward seeking healthcare with active ones.
The unprecedented rise of overweight and obesity rates is a global phenomenon – a new report published in leading medical journal the Lancet forecasted that more than half of adults and a third of young people will be overweight or obese by 2050. Lead author Professor Emmanuela Gakidou called it a “profound tragedy and a monumental societal failure.”
