A body representing doctor organisations in 85 countries has agreed for the first time on a policy paper on what medics should do to help in the global fight to bring down rising obesity levels.
The World Medical Association (WMA) discussed the epidemic at its recent annual meeting in South Africa and in a statement afterwards said obesity was one of the single most important health issues facing the world in the 21st century, affecting all countries and socio-economic groups and representing a serious drain on healthcare resources.
It urged doctors in all countries to use their roles to stress to national health authorities that a reduction in obesity should be a priority.
It also urged doctors to encourage patients to make healthy food choices and to express concern at every opportunity, through their medical associations, that excessive TV viewing and video game playing were impediments to children and adolescents engaging in physical activity in many countries.
Dr James Reilly, a former president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), led the Irish delegation at the WMA's annual conference. "The policy paper originated with the IMO three years ago," he said.
He feels the policy will contribute to curbing a problem that costs countries millions.
The annual cost of treating obesity and related illnesses in the Republic alone is close to €500 million. He said despite much debate in the recent past about obesity, many people who were obese still did not recognise they had a problem.
"I would say that every second person who has come into my surgery over the last number of years felt they were just overweight and were quite shocked to find that they were obese.
"And obese is not a derogatory term. It's a condition that means you are three times more likely to get a heart attack or a stroke than somebody who is not obese. You are also many times more likely to develop diabetes, not to mention being at increased risk of certain cancers, osteoarthritis and, in men, erectile dysfunction," he said.
"The first step in dealing with any problem is becoming aware and acknowledging you have a problem and that is why everybody should know their body mass index [ BMI]," he said.
BMI can be ascertained by dividing one's weight in kilograms by one's height in square metres. If the figure is over 30, then the person can be regarded as obese and should take steps to reduce their weight.
"Clearly this formula works for the vast bulk of people but may not apply to a professional and therefore superfit sportsman," Dr Reilly, a north Dublin GP, said.
"I would contend that if everyone in the country had a BMI under 30 and didn't smoke, our health service wouldn't be in crisis. That is how big a contributor it is," he said.
Dr Reilly called for the full implementation of the Government's taskforce on obesity report published last year and for more services for people who are obese.
A year ago Dr Donal O'Shea, a specialist at the State's only adult weight-management clinic in Loughlinstown Hospital in Dublin, said 12 patients had died while on a waiting list to be seen at the clinic.
"I've had two patients who went abroad for stomach stapling simply because of the waiting list. These were people of about 35-40 stone," Dr Reilly said.
Half of all adults and one in five children in the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Region are overweight.