Rangpur has the highest number of obese people, Khulna has the lowest: Study
About 26.5% of the country's people have been suffering from obesity with Rangpur district being at the top of the list and Khulna at the bottom, a study has found.
In Rangpur 33.7% people are obese while the rate is 31.9% in Dhaka, 29% in Chattogram, 26.7% in Rajshahi, 23% in Sylhet, 19.5% in Barisal, 16.1% in Mymensingh and 14% in Khulna. The non-communicable disease control (NCDC) division of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) disclosed the information on Thursday at a seminar on 'Dissemination of Research Findings on Non-Communicable Diseases' at a city hotel.
The study also said that over 7% people have been suffering from diabetes with Sylhet having the highest number of patients. Of all diabetic patients, 61% of them do not have any symptoms.
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There are 13.5% people who have been suffering from hypertension, with Mymensingh having the highest number of patients. Of all hypertension patients, 68% do not have any symptoms.
According to the World Health Organization, being overweight and obesity are defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. A body mass index (BMI) over 25 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese.
In his speech, Health Minister Zahid Maleque said NCDs or non-communicable diseases are becoming more hazardous than communicable diseases.
Every year 10 lakh people die a normal death, said the minister, adding: 1900 people die every day and 70% of these deaths are due to various NCDs.
Suggesting a healthy lifestyle, Zahid Maleque also said that environmental pollution is one of the major reasons for the prevalence of these NCDs alongside food habits and lifestyle.
"The treatment cost of these diseases is very high, exerting increasingly greater pressure on hospitals. Expenditure at the personal and state level is going up," he said.
