No waists too wide: Health authorities target "pot bellies"

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has launched a pilot campaign targeted to rid the kingdom of persons with overlarge midsections, termed "No pot-bellies in the office" with the aim of reducing obesity and the increased risk of diabetes and other diseases, according to Deputy Public Health Minister Dr. Morakot Kornkasem.

The senior health official said the ministry initiated the project after finding that Metabolic Syndrome, which is a concurrence of multiple medical indicators, is increasing at an alarming rate among both men and women in Thailand.

"A survey on Metabolic Syndrome among Thais aged between 19-59 years old by using waist circumference as a main indicator," Dr. Morakot said, "found that the number of Thai people with the problematic lifestyle indicator increased from 28 per cent in 2004 to almost 36 per cent in 2006."

Metabolic Syndrome is defined as having a waist circumference of more than 90 centimetres (cm) (35.4 inches) for men and more than 80cm (31.5 inches ) for women.

Simply speaking, many people eat too much, eat the wrong foods, and exercise little or not at all.

To prevent Metabolic Syndrome, the Ministry will raise awareness among the public on the dangers of the sydrome and encourage the public to change their affluent lifestyle-related unhealthy eating habits, he said.

The deputy minister said a large waist circumference is associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lipid disorders, diabetes mellitus and heart attack.

Considering that the public health minister's staff should be a role model for the public, the ministry has started with its own staff at the Department of Public Health with a campaign to reduce official waistlines.

--TNA 2007-05-25

Classic Thailand

That explains why a HOD I know in MOPH started on a crash diet a couple of weeks ago. He must have had prior knowledge.

Lucky I'm not a government employee then .... What happens when they start applying this to visa applications?

Lucky I'm not a government employee then .... What happens when they start applying this to visa applications?

Can you imagine Pattaya with no pot bellies? Be like a scene from 28 days later, if all the fat gutted farangs were kicked out....hmmmm, not a bad idea really.

I seem to remember the Thai Police having a campaign like this a few years back for all those desk bound senior officers

who could not possibly chase a criminal...................

Did anything ever come of it??

To prevent Metabolic Syndrome, the Ministry will raise awareness among the public on the dangers of the sydrome and encourage the public to change their affluent lifestyle-related unhealthy eating habits, he said.

The deputy minister said a large waist circumference is associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, lipid disorders, diabetes mellitus and heart attack.

Affluent lifestyle huh? Like all the fat old birds I see running laundry shops and serving on food stalls? Have these morons noticed the shape of hordes of young kids, obese already at age 8 or 9? Affluent my eye.

Who was the deputy minister addressing his remarks to? The average Thai wouldn't know a lipid disorder from a hippopotamus. What percentage of Thais understand what hypertension is? If you want to put a message across then put it in terms that your target audience understands- but then he's a Thai politician so that concept would be beyond his ken.

I thought I had a “Pot Belly”

But

Glad to report that it is Pirates Disease

(Sunken Chest)

I reckon they have alot of work to do.

I have seen some real big people walking around BKK lately

according to this post, a woman is consider a pot belly if their belly is 4 inches below a males "pot belly" of 35 inches. A woman theoritically could have a 30 inch waist and not be a pot belly! Sheesh, I would not want to be around a woman with a waist 4 inches smaller than mine!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is it first of april again?

, what a load of trollop, it would be funny if they did that visa's what with fba2 as well, that would definetly be bye bye thailand, last one out turn the lights off

Edited May 25, 200719 yr by Forkinhades

Be very, very afraid, george...

Is it first of april again?

In Thailand every day is April 1st. I wonder if Thai airways are going to have a belly size measurer in the same way as they have a cabin bag size measurer, you could then put the fat ones in the hold and stop them spilling over into other people's seats.

Sigh.... you notice they betray their tools by their language. If all you have is a police force, everything starts to look like a crackdown...

I seem to remember the Thai Police having a campaign like this a few years back for all those desk bound senior officers

who could not possibly chase a criminal...................

Did anything ever come of it??

Yes, they reordered new uniforms. ''Same as before but make it one size bigger for all''

Maybe they are going to levy a heavy fine, let's say Bt3000 for everything over the max, that way less money to spend on all the sweets and snacks that get you FAT. "I wonder, What's Next.

Metabolic Syndrome

From the American Heart Association

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4756

Metabolic Syndrome

From the American Heart Association

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4756

Love it...that should make a few pot bellies think

Quote from a teeshirt :-

I don't have a pot belly, it's a fuel tank for a sex machine.

Discrimination again

Metabolic Syndrome is defined as having a waist circumference of more than 90 centimetres (cm) (35.4 inches) for men and more than 80cm (31.5 inches ) for women.

Men — Equal to or greater than 40 inches (102 cm)

Women — Equal to or greater than 35 inches (88 cm)

So if you are an American you are allowed almost an extra 5 inches of waistline compared to a Thai person.

Unfair! Unfair!

Peter

Metabolic Syndrome is defined as having a waist circumference of more than 90 centimetres (cm) (35.4 inches) for men and more than 80cm (31.5 inches ) for women.

Simply speaking, many people eat too much, eat the wrong foods, and exercise little or not at all.

I am sorry I do not see what over eating and not exercising has to do with metabolism..............

It sounds to me as though the metabolism is fine, we are overloading the system.

Labels like this just give more people an excuse for not taking a grip on life,

cutting down the intake and getting out for some daily exercise.

no visa unless your waist is over 90cm. then you have to pay fat tax for wear and tear on the roads

Lucky I'm not a government employee then .... What happens when they start applying this to visa applications?