JAFES: Reducing Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome; Meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the First Time

Abstract

The huge success of the 6^th Asia-Oceania Conference on Obesity in Manila, Philippines, on August 31 to September 2, 2011, inspired the editorial team to focus on the epidemic of obesity and the metabolic syndrome in the ASEAN Region. 

Firstly, the obesity rates in the region are clearly rising, with the epidemic particularly affecting children who comprise a growing segment of the population.  Secondly, existing data provide evidence for the strong link between obesity and its cardio-metabolic consequences, which in fact occur even at lower body mass index (BMI) levels, with increasing visceral adiposity.  Thirdly, there is a discussion on strategies for prevention and control that are applicable to the region, using population approaches with impact to communities, both urban and rural, and particularly school-based programs.  To remind us of this social responsibility and to formalize a commitment within the region, all member countries of the Asia-Oceania Association for the Study of Obesity (AOASO), signed a joint declaration on September 2, 2011, which we publish in this issue.