Obesity among Filipino women is a common problem. AFP file photo. AFP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—If your doctor prescribes exercise as medicine, don’t be surprised.

A number of primary care physicians and healthcare providers in the country have undergone a prescription training course under the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Philippines initiative, according to doctor Rosa Allen Sy, endocrinologist and past president of the Philippine Association Society for the Study of Overweight and Obesity (Passoo).

Launched last year by Passoo, EIM is a campaign focused on encouraging doctors to include exercise when designing treatment plans for their patients.

At a health forum in Quezon City on Tuesday, Sy said Filipinos must include exercise in their daily routine to help curb the growing prevalence of obesity in the country. Obesity, due to lack of physical activity and unhealthy diet, is a risk factor for a wide range of chronic diseases.

Citing the latest National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, she said the number of overweight and obese Filipinos has jumped from 16.6 percent in 1993 to 29.9 percent in 2013. This even if there was a decreasing trend in the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency in the country, from 13.9 percent to 10.3 percent over the last 20 years.

Based on the study, three in every 10 Filipinos are overweight or obese, with more Filipino women having bigger waistlines.

The survey, conducted from June 2013 to April 2014, showed that 34.4 percent of Filipino women were obese while 27.6 percent of their male counterpart fall under the category.

More women also have high waist circumference at 23.1 percent compared to the men at 3.8 percent, according to the study.

Sy said Filipinos must overcome obesity to prevent premature deaths due to noncommunicable diseases, and this can be done through dietary intervention and exercise with the help and guidance of their doctors.

She noted that several doctors have just finished the training in July. Another batch will be trained later this year or early next year.