MANILA — The Department of Health on Tuesday raised alarm about an "epidemic" of obesity in the country, which increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases.

"Ngayon po meron po tayong kumbaga parang kumakalat na epidemya ng obesity," DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

According to the latest survey, she said 1 in 10 Filipino school-age children or 14 percent were overweight.

Meanwhile, about 13 percent or 1 in 10 Filipino adolescents are considered obese, Vergeire said.

The same survey also showed that 3 in 10 lactating mothers and 4 in 10 adults were overweight, she added.

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Unhealthy eating habits and the lack of regular physical activity are among factors contributing to the problem of obesity, Vergeire said.

But she noted that obesity is a multifaceted problem that would require multisectoral and comprehensive strategies to prevent and manage effectively and sustainably.

According to the World Health Organization, non-communicable diseases led to an estimated 70 percent of deaths in the Philippines.

Some 511,748 Filipinos succumbed to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in 2019, the United Nation's health agency has said.

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