News & Events

Today, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) launched “Tackling Obesity in ASEAN: Prevalence, impact, and guidance on interventions.” This report, commissioned by the Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN), analyses obesity in ASEAN through consumer and healthcare practitioner surveys, an intervention effectiveness analysis and an assessment of the economic impact of obesity.

The report highlights these key findings:

• Obesity prevalence rates have more than tripled in low and middle-income countries through 1980-2013

• ASEAN countries facing the highest costs of obesity in 2016 are: Indonesia (US$2-4bn) and Malaysia (US$1-2bn)

• Obese workers in ASEAN are less productive than their healthy counterparts. They effectively contribute to the economy for between four and nine years less than the working-age population average

• Individually, interventions that target either food intake or exercise show the greatest promise in the fight against obesity. The effectiveness of interventions that target both is even higher

Download the document HERE.