Influences of Different Environmental Factors to the Increasing Rate of Obesity in the Philippines: A Review

The dietary pattern of the Filipino households for the past 25 years shifted to increased energy density consumption as a product of urbanization and decreasing physical activity. This causes the emergence of increasing prevalence of obesity in the Philippines. Thus, this study aims to understand the growing overweight and obese cases in the country and to examine different environmental factors affecting the prevailing food consumption patterns and nutritional perceptions in the modern Philippines. This paper reviewed related articles and secondary data focusing on the environmental influences leading to obesity across the globe and in the Philippine setting. It was observed that increasing rates of obesity tend to follow the trends of urbanization and globalization posing risk in urban areas. This includes the adoption of Filipino to trends brought by westernization as a secular trend of urbanization. Being a country with a long history of colonialism, it is a consequence among Filipinos to have a high perception of cultural inferiority as part of internalized racial oppression leading to vulnerability to rapid changes of urbanization and globalization. Long-term strategies should become a public health priority to target the trends of obesity across all age groups particularly women and urban households which are prone to increase risk of developing obesity and limit its further negative effect on well-being.

Keywords – environmental influences, nutrition transition, obesity, obesity framework