STOCKHOLM, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Obesity prevention and treatment need the change of living environment, concluded experts at the end of the 11th International Congress on Obesity in Stockholm on Thursday.
"Reducing sedentary behavior at home and work, building active communities and involve active transport interventions are helpful to reduce obesity," said Boyd Swinburn, an expert in community intervention in Australia.
"To change the food environment by requiring the companies label on soft drinks or fast food so that people are well informed is another way of helping reduce obesity," said Philip James, president of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.
During the week long congress on obesity, 2400 participants discussed various measures combating the epidemic of obesity ranging from basic science, treatment to diet, behavior change and public policies.
Roland Sturm from the U.S. talked about how the U.S. has used economic measures to deal with obesity issue for example to impose high tax on consumption of high calorie junk food or soft drinks in some areas in California.
Many young scientists attended the congress to show their interests in dealing with obesity reduction, this has been one of the main purposes of the congress, said Stephan Rossner, president of the congress.
In treatment, Jim Mann from New Zealand reviewed that for those who are in prediabetes or diabetes situation, it is highly recommended to use diet to manage the weight of the patient. This can substantially help reduce morbidity, but for those obese who have heart disease, it is not clear weight control will be good or not.
Aiming at disseminating information on obesity, ICO was first held in London in 1974. It was held every four years and the next congress will be held in Kuala Lunpur, Malaysia in 2014.
