Obesity is not just a matter of appearance, says HISOBI chief

Chairman of the Indonesian Obesity Study Association (HISOBI) Prof. Dr. Dante Saksono Harbuwono, Sp.PD-KEMD, Ph.D., has said that obesity is not merely a matter of appearance, as the condition can trigger continuous inflammation within the body.

“Do not forget that in an obese body, our inflammation keeps running,” Dante said at the launch of the Obesity Education Campaign #BeraniBicaraBerat in Jakarta on Friday.

Dante said many people are still reluctant to discuss or address obesity because they consider the condition to be solely related to body shape and appearance.

The latest available national data from the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) recorded that the prevalence of obesity among the population aged 18 years and over reached 23.4 percent. This figure increased compared with 21.8 percent in 2018.

Some people, he said, also allow obesity to persist because they feel that getting older or having children means they no longer need to pay attention to their weight.

“You want to wait for your children to graduate, don’t you? You want to have grandchildren who can live side by side and be looked after by grandparents whose bodies are healthy, don’t you? Well, for that, start addressing obesity early,” he said.

Dante said tackling obesity cannot be left solely to individuals. Families have a role in shaping eating habits and lifestyles from childhood.

According to him, these habits need to be built from an early age, including by encouraging children to be more physically active and not making eating the centre of family activities.

“Obesity cannot be handled individually. It must start from the family,” he said.

The view that obesity is not merely a matter of appearance is also in line with the government’s attention to the condition. The Ministry of Health has said obesity is linked to the risk of various non-communicable diseases and requires an approach involving biological, environmental and genetic factors.

Dante added that the public needs to start changing their perspective on health management by not waiting until illness or complications appear before seeking help.

He encouraged the public to recognise and address obesity earlier as part of efforts to maintain long-term health.