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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) National Obesity Treatment Center sees more than 10,000 patient visits per year for people seeking obesity treatment, an official has said.
As the world marked World Obesity Day on March 4, HMC engaged in public education on weight and its problems because a face-to face event would not have been possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Professor Shahrad Taheri, professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and senior consultant at the National Obesity Treatment Center, said the centre is one of the largest obesity centres in the world. “We have more than 10,000 patients’ visits a year and they are increasing year after year because the population is growing. This makes it one of the busiest obesity centres,” he said.
He said the centre has all the latest equipment to investigate obesity and its complications.
“We also have the latest treatments, including medications, dietary interventions, psychological approaches to ensure behavioural change and endoscopic procedures. We also do bariatric surgeries. We offer a wide range services that are not available in many centres across the world,” Prof Taheri said. According to him, a majority of the patients who come to seek treatment have obesity complications like diabetes and heart disease, besides others.
“There is a combination of treatments and the basic treatment that we start with is lifestyle intervention which is nutrition, diet, physical activity and behavioural change. On top of that we add medication, depending on the individual circumstance as it is tailored to each patient,” he added.
He reiterated that if there is any other help that is required depending on the national guidelines, some patients undergo bariatric surgery, adding that the majority of the patients are females.
Prof Taheri pointed out that there is also an increasing number of patients in the adolescent clinic.
Talking about the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight, Prof Taheri said, “It is very easy to gain weight if you are not paying attention to it but it is very difficult to lose it and maintain that weight loss. If you are overweight, monitor your weight and ensure that you are eating the portion of food that is required. Don’t eat extra plates and ensure that you have a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. In Qatar, there is much concentration on carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta and potatoes). People should eat these in moderation.”
He said as people spend more time at home and not being active due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to pay attention to what they eat and what activities they undertake, stressing that weight gain is not healthy and can result in many complications.
“People who are obese are at risk of having more severe coronavirus infection,” he said.
He described eating fast food as a contributor to obesity as many of the outside food are processed and unhealthy.
Prof Taheri advised that people to schedule physical activity in the house or outside in their daily lives.
He said there are many mobile applications and sessions on Youtube that people can benefit from, adding that HMC physio department has a lot of videos that involve stretching and other activities that people can do at home.
“The National Obesity Treatment Center clinics are open from 7am to 3:30 pm every day. We work as a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that we support our patients to achieve the best outcomes. The team involves a physician, dietitian, nursing support, psychiatrist and others,” said Prof Taheri.
DOHA
Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) National Obesity Treatment Center sees more than 10,000 patient visits per year for people seeking obesity treatment, an official has said.
As the world marked World Obesity Day on March 4, HMC engaged in public education on weight and its problems because a face-to face event would not have been possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Professor Shahrad Taheri, professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and senior consultant at the National Obesity Treatment Center, said the centre is one of the largest obesity centres in the world. “We have more than 10,000 patients’ visits a year and they are increasing year after year because the population is growing. This makes it one of the busiest obesity centres,” he said.
He said the centre has all the latest equipment to investigate obesity and its complications.
“We also have the latest treatments, including medications, dietary interventions, psychological approaches to ensure behavioural change and endoscopic procedures. We also do bariatric surgeries. We offer a wide range services that are not available in many centres across the world,” Prof Taheri said. According to him, a majority of the patients who come to seek treatment have obesity complications like diabetes and heart disease, besides others.
“There is a combination of treatments and the basic treatment that we start with is lifestyle intervention which is nutrition, diet, physical activity and behavioural change. On top of that we add medication, depending on the individual circumstance as it is tailored to each patient,” he added.
He reiterated that if there is any other help that is required depending on the national guidelines, some patients undergo bariatric surgery, adding that the majority of the patients are females.
Prof Taheri pointed out that there is also an increasing number of patients in the adolescent clinic.
Talking about the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight, Prof Taheri said, “It is very easy to gain weight if you are not paying attention to it but it is very difficult to lose it and maintain that weight loss. If you are overweight, monitor your weight and ensure that you are eating the portion of food that is required. Don’t eat extra plates and ensure that you have a good selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. In Qatar, there is much concentration on carbohydrates (rice, bread, pasta and potatoes). People should eat these in moderation.”
He said as people spend more time at home and not being active due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was important to pay attention to what they eat and what activities they undertake, stressing that weight gain is not healthy and can result in many complications.
“People who are obese are at risk of having more severe coronavirus infection,” he said.
He described eating fast food as a contributor to obesity as many of the outside food are processed and unhealthy.
Prof Taheri advised that people to schedule physical activity in the house or outside in their daily lives.
He said there are many mobile applications and sessions on Youtube that people can benefit from, adding that HMC physio department has a lot of videos that involve stretching and other activities that people can do at home.
“The National Obesity Treatment Center clinics are open from 7am to 3:30 pm every day. We work as a multi-disciplinary team to ensure that we support our patients to achieve the best outcomes. The team involves a physician, dietitian, nursing support, psychiatrist and others,” said Prof Taheri.
